What Is ICAO Annex 19?
ICAO Annex 19, titled “Safety Management,” is the international standard that establishes SMS requirements for aviation service providers worldwide. Published by the International Civil Aviation Organization in 2013, it consolidated safety management provisions that were previously scattered across multiple ICAO annexes into a single, coherent framework. ICAO is the United Nations specialized agency responsible for international civil aviation. Its annexes establish Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) that member states — including the United States — are expected to implement through their national regulations. Annex 19 is the standard that gave rise to the global SMS movement, and it provides the conceptual foundation on which FAA Part 5 is built.The Relationship Between Annex 19 and Part 5
FAA 14 CFR Part 5 is the United States’ implementation of the SMS requirements outlined in ICAO Annex 19. While the two are closely aligned, they are not identical. Part 5 is written as a prescriptive regulation with enforceable requirements, while Annex 19 establishes broader standards that each member state adapts to its own regulatory framework. The four-pillar SMS structure — Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance, and Safety Promotion — originates from ICAO and is adopted directly in Part 5. The 5x5 risk assessment matrix commonly used in aviation SMS also comes from ICAO guidance. The ICAO framework informed the FAA’s approach to scalability, allowing small operators to implement SMS proportional to their size and complexity. For Part 135 operators focused on domestic U.S. operations, Part 5 is the governing regulation. However, understanding the ICAO framework is valuable for two reasons: it provides deeper context for why Part 5 requires what it does, and it is directly relevant for operators conducting international flights.ICAO Amendment 2 to Annex 19, effective November 2025 and applicable November 2026, extends SMS requirements to remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) operators. If your Part 135 operation involves unmanned aircraft, this amendment is relevant to your compliance planning.
State Safety Programme (SSP)
Annex 19 does not only address individual operators. It also requires each ICAO member state to establish a State Safety Programme (SSP) — a national-level framework for managing aviation safety across the entire system. The SSP concept recognizes that aviation safety is not solely the responsibility of individual operators. The state — through its civil aviation authority — must establish safety policy at the national level, set acceptable levels of safety performance, conduct oversight of operators’ SMS, and collect and analyze safety data across the industry. In the United States, the FAA’s SSP encompasses its oversight programs, the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) system, the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), and other national safety initiatives. When your organization’s SMS feeds data into the broader national safety picture, it contributes to a system-wide understanding of risk that benefits the entire industry.Doc 9859: The Safety Management Manual
ICAO Document 9859, the Safety Management Manual, is the companion guidance to Annex 19. Now in its fourth edition, it provides detailed implementation guidance for both states and operators. Doc 9859 covers topics that go beyond what Annex 19 and Part 5 prescribe:- The SHELL Model for analyzing human factors in safety events, examining the interfaces between Software (procedures), Hardware (equipment), Environment, and Liveware (people).
- Safety culture assessment methods for understanding how deeply safety values are embedded in organizational behavior.
- Safety data collection and analysis techniques for turning raw reports into actionable safety intelligence.
- Safety performance indicators and how to select, define, and monitor them effectively.
Why International Alignment Matters
Even for operators that fly exclusively within the United States, ICAO alignment matters because the SMS framework is a shared language. When the FAA, NTSB, insurers, auditors, and industry associations discuss safety management, they use the concepts and terminology established by ICAO. Understanding this framework means understanding the intent behind Part 5’s requirements, not just the letter. For operators that conduct international flights, ICAO alignment is directly operational. Member states may require evidence of SMS compliance for overflight or landing permissions. Voluntary standards like IS-BAO (the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations) are built on the ICAO SMS framework and are recognized by aviation authorities worldwide. PlaneConnection’s SMS module is designed around the ICAO framework and maps directly to both Annex 19 standards and Part 5 requirements. This means that an operator using PlaneConnection for FAA Part 5 compliance is simultaneously building an SMS that aligns with international expectations — whether for IS-BAO certification, IOSA audits, or operations in jurisdictions that require ICAO-compliant safety management.Key ICAO Principles Reflected in PlaneConnection
| ICAO Principle | How PlaneConnection Supports It |
|---|---|
| Systematic hazard identification | Structured safety reporting with categorization and trend analysis |
| Risk-based decision making | 5x5 risk matrix with initial and residual risk tracking |
| Safety data collection and analysis | Dashboards, SPIs, and SmartScore analytics |
| Non-punitive reporting | Confidential and anonymous reporting options |
| Continuous improvement | CPA tracking with effectiveness verification |
| Documentation and traceability | Complete audit trails with regulatory reference tagging |