IAQG

IAQG stands for International Aerospace Quality Group. It is an industry group made up of aviation, space, and defense companies that collaborates to develop and maintain common quality management system requirements and supporting guidance for the aerospace sector.

What IAQG does

Within industrial and regulated manufacturing environments, IAQG is best known as the organization responsible for sponsoring and maintaining the AS9100 series of aerospace quality management system standards. These build on generic quality frameworks, such as ISO 9001, with sector-specific requirements for aviation, space, and defense production and services.

IAQG activities commonly include:

• Defining and updating aerospace quality management system standards (for example, AS9100, AS9110, AS9120).
• Developing supporting standards and guidance for configuration management, software quality, and special processes in aerospace supply chains.
• Providing common frameworks for oversight of certification bodies and audits related to IAQG standards.
• Promoting harmonized quality expectations between prime contractors and their suppliers across regions.

Operational relevance in manufacturing

For manufacturers in the aviation, space, and defense sectors, IAQG standards often influence how quality management systems, MES, ERP, and document control processes are structured. Examples include:

• Defining documented procedures and records required for production, inspection, and traceability under AS9100-based systems.
• Shaping supplier quality requirements and flowdown clauses in purchase orders and technical data packages.
• Informing audit checklists and internal assessment criteria used to evaluate plant operations against aerospace expectations.

Scope and boundaries

IAQG itself is not a regulatory authority and does not issue certifications. Instead, it publishes standards and guidance that are used by accredited certification bodies and by organizations implementing aerospace quality management systems. Adoption of IAQG standards is often driven by customer or contractual requirements in aviation, space, and defense markets.

Common confusion

• IAQG vs AS9100: IAQG is the group; AS9100 is one of the standards the group sponsors. An organization can be certified to AS9100, but it is not “certified to IAQG.”
• IAQG vs ISO: IAQG develops aerospace sector standards that typically build on ISO frameworks (for example, ISO 9001). IAQG is not part of ISO, although its standards are designed to align with ISO structures where practical.