Baltia Air Lines Inc. (fka BLTA)

[certdog]

izzzzieee:
There are two things changing in the FAA-Airline relationship.
One: The FAA's switch from the Air Transportation Oversight System (ATOS) to the Safety Assurance System (SAS) for FAA oversight and certification of airlines. This transition started late last year and continues through this year.
Two: The new requirement for every airline to have a Safety Management System (SMS) within the next couple years. The SMS requirement is just part of the SAS. The SAS lines up the FAA efforts more closely with SMS principles (Risk Management, Safety Assurance, etc.).
Baltia seems to be caught somewhere in the middle with these changes due to the certification dragging out.
The SAS quote I posted earlier is for the new SAS certification system which probably does not technically apply to Baltia since they started under ATOS and are most likely grandfathered under ATOS.
Due to the delay however, the FAA seems to be making them stand up their SMS sooner than the two years since that will be part of the new SAS system.
Clear as mud? I'm guessing the FAA doesn't really know how to deal with this either. They are boldly going where no airline has gone before.