In 2023, the FAA published its final rule on Safety Management Systems (SMSs) for Part 139 airports. This long-awaited rule is now a regulatory requirement for any airport certificated under FAR Part 139. Many small-hub and non-hub airports that fall under this category face staffing and resource constraints, and guidelines are needed to support them as well as any other airport that may one day fall under this category. Additionally, there may be airports, including general aviation (GA) airports, that may wish to develop an SMS program voluntarily.

The objective of this research is to develop a guide for developing, implementing, and running an SMS program at small-hub, non-hub, and GA airports. The guide should include best practices, templates, tools, and lessons learned from airports currently running a program that can be used by airports that are either required to comply with the Part 139 SMS rule or that voluntarily choose to establish an SMS program.