Contact: Dan Hubbard at (202) 783-9360 or dhubbard@nbaa.org
WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2007 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) announced a record-setting 1,152 Exhibitors at the NBAA 60th Annual Meeting & Convention (NBAA2007), a sold-out Static Display of Aircraft and a final attendance total of more than 32,000 people at a Convention that rose to eighth in the rankings of U.S. trade shows earlier this year.
“This was an enormously successful Convention, and NBAA’s 60th anniversary has been an enormously successful year,” NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said. “This year’s Annual Meeting & Convention was also notable for the number of other milestones being celebrated in business aviation.”
The 2007 NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention was held from September 25 to 27 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, with a Static Display of Aircraft at nearby Fulton County Airport.
NBAA Members honored the 60th anniversary of their Association at the same time they took part in marking the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Georgia, as well as anniversaries and milestones being celebrated by Cessna, Gulfstream and Hawker Beechcraft.
“The year 2007 is proving to be momentous for general aviation on a number of fronts,” Bolen said. “General aviation in the United States leads the world in manufacture and technological advancements, and NBAA’s 8,000 Member Companies continue to lead in adopting improved technologies and procedures for navigation and flight safety.”
In addition, Bolen said general aviation continues to make its voice heard in Washington in the industry’s historic fight to stop an attempt by the big airlines to muster congressional support for their plan to shift billions of their costs onto general aviation, introduce new user fees and assume control of the air traffic control system.
“We have made some progress in the effort to convince Congress that aviation system modernization should be financed using the simple, efficient fuel tax,” he said. “But we still have a long way to go.”
Bolen noted that, even as the Convention took place in Atlanta, NBAA was advocating for Member interests in Washington. Steve Brown, NBAA senior vice president of operations & administration and a former associate administrator for FAA Air Traffic Services, testified before a House subcommittee to challenge “the erroneous allegations from the big airlines’ attempt to blame their record-setting delays on the general aviation community,” as part of their campaign to vilify the industry. (Review the press release.)
“I urge our Members to stay involved and communicate the threat that user fees pose to thousands of businesses and communities nationwide to their representatives in Congress,” Bolen concluded.
To review Convention highlights, including podcasts, photos, videos, articles and Member snapshots, visit NBAA’s online News Bureau at www.nbaa.org/2007.
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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association, Inc. (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 8,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.
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International Business Aviation Council Ltd.