IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations

What it is

In IATA's own words, "The IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) is a global safety oversight program designed to improve the operational quality, consistency, and safety performance of Ground Handling Service Providers (GHSPs)."

ISAGO grants two things — registration and station accreditation — both valid for 24 months once findings are closed (see Validity).

The registry itself is public, but the underlying audit reports are not. ISAGO's page: "ISAGO registry is now available on ONE Source." The fact sheet names IATA as custodian: "IATA is the custodian of all ISAGO audit reports and manages the ISAGO Registry, the ONE Source online public portal for all ISAGO information and status details." Access to the reports themselves is narrower: "ISAGO member airlines continue to be the only ones having access to the ISAGO reports."

ISAGO's standards track ICAO's own ground-handling guidance: "The ISAGO standards are aligned fully with the associated ground handling service provider provisions specified in the ICAO Doc 10121, Manual on Ground Handling."

Scale, as reported in two differently dated sources: the fact sheet (dated to a November 2024 update) states "There were 225 GHSPs in the ISAGO Registry, providing services at 385 accredited stations at 228 airports worldwide." ISAGO's own page, current as of 2026, reports larger, rounded figures: "230+ ISAGO registered GHSPs" and "430+ ISAGO-accredited stations at 235+ airports."

Who owns it

ISAGO is owned and run by IATA, which the fact sheet describes as "the custodian of all ISAGO audit reports" and manager of "the ISAGO Registry."

Who assesses it

The fact sheet names the auditor pool: "The ISAGO audits are carried out by highly trained and experienced auditors, members of the Charter of Professional Auditors (CoPA). The recruitment, training, and qualification of the auditors is managed entirely by IATA."

Who asks for it

ISAGO runs on cost recovery: "ISAGO is run on a cost recovery basis. The GHSPs pay the cost of the audits and airlines subscribe to receive access to the ISAGO Registry and the audit reports."

IATA states that regulatory demand is growing, but frames this as its own observation rather than a confirmed legal requirement in any named jurisdiction: "More and more civil aviation authorities (CAAs) and international airports see the benefits of ISAGO and mandate ISAGO registration for GHSPs in their respective areas of regulatory oversight of ground operations or in licensing to operate at the airport," and "There is a growing number (47) of different CAAs/Airport Authorities recognizing ISAGO through MoUs." No specific CAA's or airport authority's own regulatory text was opened and confirmed in the sources reviewed as of 31 August 2026 — a country-specific "ISAGO is required in country X" claim is not published until that authority's own instrument is verified.

Validity

24 months. ISAGO's own page: "Both ISAGO registration and station accreditation are granted once all findings are closed, and remain valid for 24 months."