Bolen Encourages Collaboration on Industry Advocacy

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen encouraged airport leaders and state aviation officials to remain active in advocating for the industry, saying the public should be educated about the benefits that business aviation brings to the community. During the 4 States Airport Conference last week in Kansas City, Mo., Bolen stressed to the leaders, “General aviation in the U.S. is a great news story and a great industry, but for it to be fully understood and appreciated, we need to clearly articulate who we are and what we do.”

Bolen was the featured speaker at the welcome luncheon of the conference, which drew more than 300 representatives from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. NBAA representatives also recently participated in airport conferences in West Virginia and Colorado.

“Airports are fundamental to everything we do. They open access to communities and provide economic development opportunities,” Bolen told the officials. “As the largest airport infrastructure in the world, collaboration is important, and this is an opportunity to talk with the industry at a grass-roots level.”