At US Chamber Summit, NBAA Highlights Importance of America’s Global Aviation Leadership

Sept. 10, 2025

The U.S. has always been a global leader in aviation, and key to that competitive edge has ben a cross-border framework that facilitates an even trade landscape in the sector – a critical structure for commerce that must be preserved to maintain the industry’s significant positive impact on the American economy.

That was the unified message delivered by NBAA and a group of other industry leaders in a key panel discussion held as part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s annual Global Aerospace Summit in Washington, DC, on Sept. 9.

The panel included NBAA Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Kristie Greco Johnson, joined by executives from Airlines for America (A4A), the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

Specifically, the association leaders pointed to the 1979 Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, centered on a “zero-for-zero” approach to tariffs on aircraft and parts, as an essential component in aviation commerce, which is subject to stringent international regulations and other standards. Since the agreement’s implementation, over 30 countries have benefited from the agreement.

Greco Johnson called the framework a “decades-long success story that has served us well for 45 years.” It has enabled business aviation to contribute 1.3 million jobs and $340 billion in economic stimulus every year and given the U.S. “dominance in manufacturing.”

While concerns have been voiced about the 1979 agreement in light of recent developments regarding the nation’s broader trade and tariff policies, Greco said, “We will continue to work with the administration to keep this proven model in place, so the industry can thrive for decades to come.”

AIA’s Dorothy Reimold and A4A’s Sharon Pinkerton and agreed. Pinkerton added that while the administration and Congress remain supportive of zero-for-zero, the industry “still needs to tell its story” to policymakers.

Greco Johnson concurred, noting that “small and mid-size businesses are the economic engines of towns and cities across America, and aviation allows them access to the world to be more competitive in a global marketplace.” GAMA’s Paul Feldman said the aviation industry is responsible for a $104 billion trade surplus.

At a separate event in Washington held on the same day, trade was also the focus of a panel including NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, who said that advocacy for free and fair trade policies including the 1979 agreement will remain on the industry’s “front burner.”

If the industry uses the data demonstrating its impact, “we have a good opportunity to show and make the case that this trade policy is right for safety, security, the economy and the U.S.” as a whole, Bolen said at the annual JETNET iQ Summit.