Some 275 delegates attended the 2009 U.S./China Aviation Symposium, April 7-9 in Beijing, China, exchanging views on all aspects of the civil aviation industry with a focus on nurturing its forecasted growth in China.
The meeting was sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), in cooperation with the U.S.-China Aviation Cooperation Program, U.S Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of State, and DOT/FAA.AAAE served as the program and logistics manager.
The AAAE/International Association of Airport Executives (IAAE) airport delegation was led by AAAE Chair Jim Elwood, A.A.E.; AAAE First Vice Chair John Duval, A.A.E.; AAAE Second Vice Chair Jim Bennett, A.A.E.; AAAE Immediate Past President Krys Bart, A.A.E.; and IAAE Chair Bonnie Allin, A.A.E.
The agenda featured numerous senior-level aviation executives, including CAAC Administrator Li Jiaxiang, United CEO Glenn Tilton, and many senior officials from both CAAC and FAA. Topics discussed ranged from airport development in China to the outlook for general aviation. Much of the focus was on cooperation between the Chinese and U.S. aviation industries to share best practices.
"This gathering itself speaks to the power of partnerships between the U.S. and China," Tilton told delegates. "In coming together at conferences such as these we also create commerce for the U.S. and China as business travel and conferences do — stimulating the economy and providing venues for important business discussion and alignment."
During the symposium, USTDA, with support from AAAE and CAAC, launched the Airport Environmental Partnership (AEP). The AEP seeks to mobilize expertise and resources in order to exchange best practices and common approaches to mitigating environmental impacts of airport development and management. With support from AAAE, participating U.S. airports will exchange best practices with their Chinese counterparts on common airport environmental issues such as aircraft and vehicle emissions, terminal and airfield energy conservation, airport green construction projects, waste management and water quality.
"Global partnerships like the AEP require support from many organizations," said Geoffrey Jackson, USTDA's director for policy and program and regional director for East Asia. "USTDA appreciates AAAE's efforts in helping bring airports to the table while designing the program. We look forward to continuing these important relationships as we expand our aviation environmental programs."
An invitation-only airport issues meeting also took place on April 7, involving top executives from several Chinese and U.S. airports and senior officials from CAAC and FAA. The meeting was an opportunity for participants to exchange information in an open forum on various topics, including environmental challenges, security, safety and development.
The symposium, the third in a series of gatherings between the U.S. and China, was sponsored by the U.S.-China Aviation Cooperation Program, United, Continental, Delta, American, Boeing, UPS, Textron China, Honeywell United Technologies International Operations, Jones Day, Leo A Daly, FAA Academy Airports and International Training, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-College of Business, Subway International, Oshkosh Corp. and JLG Industries, Airport Business Solutions, The MITRE Corp., L-3 Communications and Security Systems, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, and Woodward & Associates.
