US Chamber of Commerce Hosts Aviation Summit

The US Chamber of Commerce hosts its 19th Annual Aviation Summit 2020 on March 5, 2020, in Washington, D.C. The summit brings together a host of leaders from across aviation to “discuss the many challenges and opportunities facing the aviation industry, including rich conversations on international flight, advancements in aviation technology, and opportunities and challenges facing the field,” according to the event website.

Led by the CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce, Thomas J. Donohue, and Suzanne Clark, its president, leaders among the projected 1,000 in attendance include current FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, Stanley Deal, executive vice president of The Boeing Company and CEO and president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and the heads of every major airline in the United States—and the Minister of Transport, Canada, Marc Garneau.

Topics to be addressed include electric and hybrid-electric flight, hypersonic and supersonic flight, international flight, advancements in aviation technology, the state of the aviation industry, and the challenges facing commercial aviation. The US Chamber of Commerce counts as its mission the interests of business across the country, both domestically and abroad. Though it’s not on the schedule, the organization has already weighed in on the impact of the COVID-19 virus on the overall economy—and its likely to lead the immediate challenges the aviation industry grapples with as air travel around the globe takes a hit. “Industrial sectors will be impacted in waves, for example certain transportation sectors like aviation and certain trade-dependent industries are already being impacted,” according to the chamber’s article on the topic. The organization projects that the drag on the economy could mean that growth falls under 2 percent in the first quarter.