Brian Proctor, chairman of what was originally called the National Aircraft Resale Association, planned for the renamed international organisation to introduce a number of transformative initiatives back in 2018. The future agenda included a new website, a highly sophisticated international search portal for aircraft offered by IADA dealers, processes to standardise and streamline aircraft transactions, including third party accreditation of aircraft dealers in the US and abroad, and a forceful presence at business aviation events.

“The renamed association's new vision, laid out by the board of directors and chair Brian Proctor, has become a reality and then some,” says current IADA chair Zipporah Marmor. “We survived the crisis of a worldwide pandemic and quickly accelerated to unparalleled economic heights on the strengths of the association and the tremendous advantages and value of business aircraft to a recovering economy.”

Marmor is VP of transactions for ACASS in Montreal, Canada. Proctor is president and CEO of Mente Group in Frisco, Texas.

“Among the positives over the past years is the expanding strength of our international footprint,” says international committee chair Stan Kuliavas, vice president, sales and business development for Levaero Aviation in Ontario, Canada. “While most of our IADA-accredited dealers were already doing business around the globe, over the past five years we have added international dealers located in Africa, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and the United Arab Emirates.”

The association is also reviewing a number of other global dealers for new memberships, and has expanded its affiliations with business aviation associations to include Asia, Canada and Europe. Today, 99 per cent of IADA dealers do business in North America, 74 per cent operate in Europe, 58 per cent are active in Latin America and the Caribbean, 47 per cent do business in Asia and the Pacific region, 43 per cent work in the Middle East and 41 per cent in Africa.

IADA's membership is also now comprised of the world's major business aircraft manufacturers, including Airbus Corporate Jets, Boeing Business Jets, Bombardier, Dassault Falcon Jet Corp, Embraer Executive Jets, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Honda Aircraft Company and Textron Aviation.

The quarterly IADA Market Report that the association subsequently developed is an informative and reliable view of the state of the aviation industry. It covers IADA-accredited dealers' perceptions about the market taken from its survey of members and actual sales data reported monthly by its dealers. The association claims it has become a prescient gauge of the market due to its commanding market share. IADA's dealers consist of the top 17 per cent of the world's experts who handle 50 per cent of used business aircraft sales. They buy and sell more aircraft by dollar volume than the rest of the world's dealers combined, averaging over 1,300 transactions and $11.8 billion in volume annually for the past two years.

The newly developed website has rolled out AircraftExchange, an aircraft search portal that makes it much easier and quicker for buyers and sellers to make aircraft deals. The portal takes advantage of the strength of the organisation, the high quality of its brokers and the aircraft they handle.

"AircraftExchange has proven itself to be an invaluable exclusive business aircraft search tool featuring the best aircraft from the world's most trusted dealers," says Shawn Dinning, chair of the AircraftExchange board of directors. Dinning, who is senior partner at Dallas Jet International, adds: “IADA vets each listing to ensure it is offered solely and exclusively by an IADA member.”

Unlike unmonitored aircraft listing sites, AircraftExchange only accepts aircraft listed for sale by dealers affiliated with IADA. Users will not find charter service listings or bait-and-switch selling tactics. The legitimacy of every exclusive listing is verified through examination of serial numbers and identifying marks, and only IADA-accredited dealers can facilitate sales.

“Shortly after rebranding as IADA, the organisation launched a comprehensive programme to accredit its dealer members and certify their brokers,” says executive director Wayne Starling. Implementing stringent requirements overseen by a more independent third party was an initiative begun in February 2019. “It was a significant step in the organisation's signature campaign to achieve ethical, transparent transactions for the benefit of aircraft buyers and sellers worldwide,” he adds.

Accreditation among the world's leading aircraft dealers established consistent standards of behaviour. Now buyers and sellers of aircraft are more confident in selecting the professionals and experts who provide counsel during negotiations and advise them in all aspects of aircraft transactions. Once IADA dealers achieve accreditation, they must maintain that high level of professionalism in order to retain their status.

In addition, the organisation requires individual brokers who work for aircraft dealers to be IADA-certified themselves, through a rigorous testing process. The dual professional recognition programmes, accreditation for dealers and certification for their brokers, form the backbone of IADA's professionalism and rigid standards of ethical behaviour. When business aircraft operators look to buy or sell an airplane, the IADA imprimatur signals professionalism and expertise.

IADA also operates IADA U, an online continuing education tool to keep certified brokers at the top of their game. Its curriculum includes coursework developed and taught by expert products and services members who know their subjects inside and out.

Another achievement is the IADA Foundation. “This offers business aviation scholarships and other education, learning and leadership opportunities,” says foundation board chair Johnny Foster, president and CEO of OGaraJets. “We can also work through other organisations, including the NBAA, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and Georgia State University. In addition, IADA will be permitted to make contributions for aviation related disaster relief and aviation related philanthropic causes through the NBAA Humanitarian Emergency Response Operator Database, Angel Flight and Corporate Angel Network.”