International Flight Services (IFS)

In aviation, there is little room for error. Whether it’s a pilot adjusting altitude by a mere hundred feet, a technician calibrating an ILS, or an air traffic controller coordinating aircraft in busy airspace, every decision, signal, and flicker of light contributes to a seamless and safe journey.

At the heart of this precision lies a complex ecosystem of technology, infrastructure, and human expertise. The average passenger might never notice the details, yet these elements form the invisible architecture of modern flight safety.

Somewhere between that precision and the human trust it inspires lies the quiet, essential work of International Flight Services (IFS).

A Peruvian company that has become one of Latin America’s most trusted names in aeronautical flight inspection, IFS was founded in 2016. Headquartered in Lima, it has built a reputation that extends far beyond Peru’s borders. The company’s mission is both simple and profound: to ensure that the air navigation systems guiding aircraft throughout the region perform exactly as they should, every time.

Over the years, that mission has carried IFS crews from busy international airports to remote jungle airstrips, often operating in conditions that test both the limits of technology and human coordination.

A Reputation Built on Trust

IFS Group’s growth has been deliberate rather than hurried. In less than a decade, it has earned the confidence of public and private clients across Latin America, including CORPAC S.A. in Peru, Pluspetrol Peru Corporation, and Minera Collahuasi in Chile. For these organizations, reliability matters more than anything else.

When asked what has earned the company such enduring loyalty, Carlos Samamé, IFS’s general manager, doesn’t hesitate.

“Our clients consistently value three things about our work: our proven efficiency during inspection flights, updated technology that allows simultaneous inspections, and the professionalism of our staff,” he says.

Those three elements—efficiency, innovation, and professionalism—run through every aspect of IFS’s operations. The company inspects a wide range of navigation systems, including VOR/DME, ILS/DME, PAPI/APAPI, Primary and Secondary Radars, as well as validate procedures-conventional (ILS, VOR or NDB based), SID/STAR, and GNSS based (RNP, RNP AR). Each mission follows a disciplined process designed to meet the International Civil Aviation Organization’s stringent standards.

Technology That Extends Capability

At the center of IFS’s field operations are two Beechcraft B-200 aircraft, each carefully configured for flight inspection work. The planes are fitted with independent antennas, low-vibration interiors, and stable flight characteristics, which are vital for maintaining precision during long inspection runs over mountains, jungles, or coastline.

Each aircraft also carries a piece of equipment that has become synonymous with the IFS name: the Carnac flight inspection console. The system allows inspectors to perform multiple calibration checks at once, testing, for instance, both a glide path and a precision approach path indicator in a single pass. This results in shorter flight times, fewer interruptions to air traffic, and faster delivery of results to clients.

“With the Carnac console, we can execute inspections for multiple systems in parallel while meeting all ICAO and local regulatory requirements,” explains Aldo Pejovés, IFS’s financial and business director. “It’s about achieving efficiency without ever sacrificing accuracy.”

That philosophy of cutting down time without cutting corners has kept IFS a step ahead of competitors in a field where both precision and punctuality define success.

Safety as a System, Not a Slogan

In an industry governed by safety, IFS has gone beyond compliance to make it part of its internal culture. The company’s Operational Safety Management System (SMS) ensures that every operation, whether a quick validation flight or a full-scale commissioning, follows a clear chain of risk assessment and accountability.

The SMS framework is supported by voluntary reporting systems that encourage transparency and early detection of potential issues. IFS also holds the ISO 9001:2015 certification from NQA (UKAS), which applies to the inspection and certification of air navigation aid systems. This accreditation is more than a mark on paper; it is a statement that quality control is built into every stage of the company’s work, from pre-flight planning to data reporting.

Technology supports that commitment. Clients can access online dashboards to track inspection progress and download preliminary reports in real time. Once a mission is completed, final certificates are stored in the company’s secure cloud system for easy retrieval, a small but meaningful shift toward a more transparent client relationship.

The People Behind the Precision

While technology may define how IFS works, people define why it succeeds. The company’s inspectors come from strong technical backgrounds, mostly in electronics and related fields, and hold international certifications from the FAA, CES Aviation, and SAFRAN Electronics & Defense in France. Each year, a structured training plan keeps them current with new systems and regulations.

“The strength of our team lies not just in their qualifications, but in their consistency,” says Pejovés. “Our inspectors carry out consecutive inspections in diverse environments, which keeps their skills sharp and their judgment dependable.”

This consistency has been essential to the company’s reputation. IFS crews often work under challenging conditions, conducting flights in regions where geography and weather test both aircraft and personnel. Yet the company’s safety record remains spotless, which is a reflection of experience and disciplined preparation.

Achieving High-Precision Inspections Seamlessly

One of IFS’s proudest moments came in 2024, when the company successfully commissioned the ILS Cat II and PAPI systems for the new runways 16R and 34L at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima. The job, performed for CORPAC S.A., required extraordinary coordination. The airport is among the busiest in South America, and the inspection had to be completed without interrupting commercial operations.

To make that possible, IFS conducted a thorough operational safety analysis under its SMS framework. The team held joint meetings with air traffic controllers, pilots, and airport personnel to align flight windows, review safety parameters, and anticipate contingencies. The result was a flawless inspection and commissioning process carried out on schedule and without incident.

For the IFS team, the project proved something fundamental: meticulous planning and teamwork can achieve what once seemed impractical—high-precision inspections in a fully active airport environment.

A Regional Partner for a Regional Challenge

Across Latin America, many civil aviation authorities and private operators face the same dilemma: they must comply with ICAO flight inspection requirements but lack the specialized aircraft and certified personnel to do so. IFS fills that gap. Its crews now perform inspection and validation work for clients in Paraguay, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guyana, and Suriname, ensuring their navigation aids meet international standards.

Over the next five years, the company intends to extend that service even further. That ambition rests not on expansion for its own sake but on the belief that consistent, high-quality inspection work strengthens aviation safety across borders.

“We plan to provide services to more countries across the Americas and the Mediterranean region,” Pejovés notes.

IFS’s regional presence has been reinforced through strategic partnerships. One of the most significant is its alliance with ATSA, a Peruvian airline that operates the inspection-equipped B-200 aircraft. Together, the partners manage flight inspection contracts for CORPAC S.A., ensuring national air navigation systems remain fully compliant.

Beyond Peru, IFS Group collaborates directly with government aviation authorities, including the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Paraguay’s DINAC, Costa Rica’s DGAC, and El Salvador’s AAC. Each collaboration has deepened IFS’s role as a regional leader in maintaining the safety backbone of Latin American air travel.

Innovation with Environmental Awareness

As global aviation moves toward greener operations, IFS has integrated sustainability into its own workflow. The company reduces emissions by optimizing its flight schedules, which includes grouping inspections by region and coordinating with weather patterns to avoid unnecessary repositioning flights.

It has also begun incorporating drones for pre-flight verification of radio-aid parameters, allowing technicians to identify potential issues before a calibration flight even begins. This not only saves time and fuel but also reduces the environmental footprint of each mission.

In Peru, for example, under its CORPAC contract, IFS organizes flight stages by geographic area to minimize travel distance and fuel consumption. Every efficiency, no matter how small, adds up to a cleaner and more responsible operation.

A Broader View of Impact

Behind the technical detail, IFS’s work has a human dimension. Each inspection it completes contributes directly to safer skies for passengers, crews, and air traffic controllers alike. In countries where aviation growth is rapid but infrastructure is still catching up, that contribution is significant. By maintaining the integrity of navigation systems, IFS helps ensure that every aircraft taking off from a regional airstrip or landing at a major international hub does so with confidence. It is a behind-the-scenes role, but an essential one, and the company embraces that responsibility with quiet pride.

IFS’s trajectory has mirrored the evolution of Latin America’s aviation sector: dynamic, demanding, and increasingly interconnected. Its leadership believes that growth should be measured not only in contracts or fleet size but in the reliability of the systems it validates and the trust it builds with clients.

From its base in Lima, the company is preparing for its next chapter, one that includes expanding into new markets, deepening existing partnerships, and continuing to refine the balance between regulatory precision and operational innovation.

In a field where precision saves lives and every decision echoes thousands of feet above the ground, IFS stands out not for flash or fanfare, but for doing the work that keeps flight safe, day after day, across an entire continent.