What SMS Will Look Like Five Years from Now

A Safety Management System in business aviation is no longer a new concept. For many operators, SMS has moved from an abstract regulatory idea to a practical operational framework. Over the next five years, SMS will continue to evolve, not through dramatic regulatory shifts, but through changes in how operators apply, measure, and rely on SMS to manage real operational risk.

What SMS will look like five years from now is more mature, more integrated into daily operations, and more clearly connected to decision making at every level of an organization. The core principles defined in FAA 14 CFR Part 5 and ICAO Annex 19 will remain largely unchanged. What will change is how consistently and effectively those principles are applied, especially within business aviation environments where resources, staffing, and operational tempo vary widely.

In practical terms, SMS will look less like a standalone safety program and more like an operating system for managing risk. It will be less about compliance artifacts and more about continuous awareness, structured decision making, and accountability across departments.

Understanding SMS as a Management System, Not a Program

To understand where SMS is going, it helps to restate what SMS is today. A Safety Management System in business aviation is a formal, organization wide approach to managing safety risk. Under FAA Part 5, SMS is structured around four pillars: Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance, and Safety Promotion.

Many operators still treat SMS as a program owned by the safety department. Five years from now, that mindset will increasingly be seen as incomplete. SMS functions best when it is treated as a management system, meaning it influences how operational decisions are made, how risks are evaluated, and how leadership sets priorities.

This shift aligns closely with the way ICAO Annex 19 frames SMS as a core business process rather than a compliance overlay. Operators that adopt this perspective earlier tend to see clearer benefits from SMS, both in safety outcomes and operational consistency.

Why the Future of SMS Matters in Business Aviation

Business aviation operates in a uniquely diverse environment. Part 91 flight departments, Part 135 charter operators, Part 145 repair stations, Part 141 training organizations, and Part 139 airports all face different operational pressures, regulatory expectations, and resource constraints.

Over the next five years, SMS will increasingly serve as the common framework that helps these different operator types manage complexity. As operations grow, fleets expand, and staffing models evolve, informal risk management becomes harder to sustain.

For example, a Part 91 department with a small team may rely heavily on experience and informal communication today. As that operation adds aircraft, introduces new destinations, or changes crew schedules, SMS provides a structured way to capture hazards, evaluate risk, and ensure that decisions remain consistent even as conditions change.

In this context, SMS becomes less about satisfying auditors and more about preserving operational stability during growth and change.

How SMS Will Become More Integrated into Daily Operations

One of the most noticeable changes in SMS over the next five years will be how deeply it is embedded into routine workflows. Today, many SMS activities happen after the fact. A hazard is reported, an incident is reviewed, or an audit finding is addressed as a discrete task.

In a more mature SMS environment, risk awareness begins earlier. Hazards are identified during planning stages, risk assessments inform scheduling and resource decisions, and safety data is reviewed alongside operational metrics.

This integration does not require constant meetings or excessive documentation. Instead, it relies on clear processes that connect operational inputs to safety outputs. A good example is the increasing use of structured risk assessments to support decisions about new routes, changes in maintenance providers, or adjustments to crew duty patterns.

Over time, SMS becomes part of how decisions are justified and documented, rather than something that runs in parallel to operations.

What Will Change and What Will Stay the Same

The regulatory foundation of SMS will remain stable. FAA Part 5 already provides flexibility in how operators meet SMS requirements, and that flexibility is likely to remain. ICAO Annex 19 continues to emphasize performance based approaches rather than prescriptive checklists.

What will change is the expectation around effectiveness. Auditors, regulators, and customers are already looking beyond whether an operator has an SMS and focusing more on how well it functions.

Five years from now, it will be increasingly difficult to rely on static manuals, generic hazard logs, or infrequent management reviews. Operators will be expected to demonstrate that their SMS identifies meaningful risks, tracks corrective actions, and adapts to operational changes.

This shift mirrors the distinction discussed in Safety Management System vs Traditional Safety Programs: What’s the Difference?, where the emphasis moves from reactive compliance to proactive management.

Common Misunderstandings That Will Become Less Acceptable

Several common misunderstandings about SMS persist today, but they are unlikely to hold up over the next five years.

One is the idea that SMS only matters after an incident. In reality, the value of SMS lies in identifying and managing risk before an event occurs. Operators that treat SMS as an investigative tool only are missing its primary purpose.

Another misunderstanding is that SMS scales poorly to small operations. While implementation approaches differ, the principles of hazard identification, risk assessment, and assurance apply equally to small and large operators. Future expectations will focus more on appropriateness and effectiveness rather than size or complexity.

Finally, there is a lingering belief that SMS is primarily a documentation exercise. While documentation is necessary, it is not sufficient. An SMS that produces reports but does not influence decisions will increasingly be viewed as ineffective.

What Good SMS Will Look Like When It Is Working Well

A well functioning SMS five years from now will show several consistent characteristics across different types of operators.

First, hazard reporting will be active and meaningful. Reports will focus on operationally relevant issues rather than vague concerns. This aligns closely with the principles discussed in What Makes a Good Hazard Report in Aviation?

Second, risk assessments will be used consistently and proportionally. Not every hazard requires extensive analysis, but significant risks will be evaluated using defined criteria that leadership understands and trusts.

Third, safety assurance activities will focus on trends and system performance rather than isolated events. Data from audits, reports, and investigations will be reviewed together to identify patterns, supporting the approach outlined in How SMS Helps Identify Systemic Risk Patterns.

Finally, leadership involvement will be visible. Accountable Executives and senior managers will use SMS outputs to inform decisions, allocate resources, and set priorities. SMS will not be delegated entirely to safety staff.

Differences Across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 145 Operations

While the direction of SMS is similar across sectors, its application will continue to differ by operator type.

Part 135 operators will likely see the most formal expectations, driven by regulatory oversight and customer requirements. SMS will increasingly be used to support operational approvals, manage rapid growth, and demonstrate organizational control.

Part 145 repair stations will continue to integrate SMS with quality systems, focusing on human factors, error reporting, and corrective action tracking. Over time, the line between quality assurance and safety assurance will become more coordinated, even if the functions remain distinct.

Part 91 operators will experience a slower but steady shift. As SMS adoption increases, expectations from insurers, flight departments, and corporate leadership will drive more consistent implementation, even where SMS is not strictly mandated.

These differences are explored in more detail in How SMS Applies Differently to Part 91, Part 135, and Part 145 Operators.

The Role of Technology in the Next Phase of SMS

Technology will play a supporting role in the evolution of SMS, but it will not replace sound processes or leadership engagement. Over the next five years, modern SMS platforms will increasingly be used to centralize data, standardize workflows, and improve visibility.

This includes more structured hazard reporting, clearer linkage between hazards and mitigations, and better tracking of corrective actions. Technology can also support trend analysis and management review by presenting safety data in ways that are easier to interpret and act upon.

However, technology alone does not make an SMS effective. Operators that rely on software without clearly defined processes or accountability will see limited benefits. The most successful implementations will treat technology as an enabler rather than a solution.

A Practical View of the Next Five Years

Looking ahead, the future of SMS in business aviation is not about dramatic change. It is about maturity, consistency, and integration. The framework defined by FAA Part 5 and ICAO Annex 19 is already sufficient. The challenge is applying it well.

Five years from now, SMS will be judged less by what an operator has documented and more by how decisions are made, how risks are understood, and how effectively the organization adapts to change. For operators that invest in building practical, integrated SMS processes today, the transition will feel incremental rather than disruptive.