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The NBAA International Operators Conference brought together over 500 attendees from 17 countries and 40 U.S. states to focus on some of the industry's biggest concerns in international aviation, including geopolitical developments and an increasing need for awareness of the emerging security threats on the ground and in the air.
The 2024 International Operators Conference took place in Orlando, Florida from March 26-28. More than 500 professionals gathered to discuss the increasingly complicated global aviation environment. Attendees were given access to a large network of professionals and analysts' perspectives on many pressing industry concerns. Convention attendees focused in on the emerging security threats to operations on the ground and in the sky, as well as the often complicated operational requirements among many geographic regions and countries.
"This year's conference reached a new altitude in bringing the industry together to remain on top of an ever-changing global aviation landscape, with insights from leaders in the field, dedicated sessions with actionable intelligence and peer-to-peer learning opportunities unavailable at any other industry event," NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said. "Attendees have come away informed and inspired about the opportunities on the world stage."
Keynote inspires teamwork and inclusion
The theme for this year was "Aviate and Communicate - Bringing Inspiration to Your International Operations," which was fitting for the keynote by Ron Mumm, former military pilot and U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team commander. Mumm has a background in business aviation, working for some of the world's largest companies. He skillfully combined stories from his flying career alongside the many lessons he learned about the importance of inclusion in teamwork.
"When you include everyone, there's a challenge in ensuring individual voices are heard, while simultaneously making the collective as good as it can be," Mumm said.
Mumm brought insight from his years as a member of the iconic USAF precision flying squad, demonstrating to attendees the value of building a foundation for teamwork.
"It's important to offer assistance instead of resistance," Mumm said. "Be passionate about performance and critique."
A call to action
During the event, industry leaders issued an urgent call to action on two important advocacy topics in the industry. Darryl Young, the director of trip support at AEG Fuels, warned about plans from government leaders to impose new taxes and IRS audits on business aviation. The convention attendees were asked to raise their voices on Capitol Hill with the NBAA's call to action. With the IRS proposing dozens of audits over private jet usage and President Biden calling out business aviation in his State of the Union address, the NBAA feels a crucial sector of aviation is under attack.
Young was joined by Mente Director of Flight Operations Mark McIntyre, sustainability 4AIR COO Nancy Bsales, and Dell Technologies Senior Director of Aviation Bas de Bruijn. The group talked about the new advocacy campaign, CLIMBING. FAST. The campaign aims to show the BizAv mission to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Young and de Bruijn urged convention attendees to visit the campaign's website and learn more to help share information about BizAv's sustainable leadership.RELATED STORY:NBAA introduces international flight planning guide
Recognizing industry resources
At IOC the NBAA introduced a new international flight planning tool. The International Flight Plan Format Guide will help operators comply with the many varying requirements for flight plans from the FAA, ICAO and foreign regulators. The guide is tailored for international flight planning and serves as a comprehensive resource to streamline and standardize processes while ensuring global compliance. International flight plans require more complexity and attention to detail and the new guide emphasizes industry standards and recommendations, acting as a foundational tool for assembling international flight plans.
The conference provided an opportunity to recognize industry excellence. McIntyre and Shawn Scott, the co-founder of Scott International Procedures, were honored with the Guy Gribble IOC Appreciation Award for dedicated service to the NBAA's International Operators Committee. The committee also recognized other recipients of BizAv professional development scholarships.RELATED STORIES:BizAv mentor, veteran pilot Ron Mumm to keynote at IOC2024NBAA SDC2024 kicks off - Bolen calls out attack on BizAv, keynoter empowers attendeesCutter Aviation, NBAA launch fuel program to aid in BizAv advocacy
Starting off strong in 2024
This year the NBAA has already hosted numerous events for industry professionals. The association held its largest-ever Regional Forum in Miami Opa-Locka on Jan. 31, followed by a record-breaking Leadership Conference in Palm Springs, California on Feb. 8 and NBAA Schedulers andamp; Dispatchers Conference in Fort Worth, Texas from March 12-14. The 2025 IOC is scheduled for Feb. 11-13 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.