The Women in Aviation International Conference in Dallas, Texas, this month brought together thousands of attendees from around the world, all focused on promoting the advancement of women in aviation and aerospace. Aireon was proud to be a part of this important event.
Women in Aviation International (WAI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of women in aviation and aerospace. WAI aims to provide career-advancement, networking platforms, mentoring, and scholarship opportunities to women, in hopes of inspiring them to pursue and maintain careers in aviation and aerospace. During the 3-day conference, over 87 scholarships totaling over $610,000 were given out to WAI members to further their aviation and aerospace professional aspirations.
Aireon’s goal at this event was to connect with the next generation of female aviation professionals and to support WAI and their mission. Aireon’s attendance highlighted to attendees that careers in the aviation and aerospace industry extend beyond the traditional pilot path. This event also provided Aireon with a valuable platform to increase brand awareness.
Tara Elliott, Aireon Corporate Recruiter, and Anna DeFalco, Aireon HR Generalist, attended the annual conference, which attracted more than 5,500 attendees from 28 different countries, with more than 160 exhibiting companies. There were many impressive keynote speakers, including NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy.
“For women new to the industry, attending sessions on various topics and hearing from the impressive range of speakers provides valuable insight, which can help them explore new interests or build on those they already have,” said DeFalco. “This opportunity to network and connect face-to-face with professionals in the aviation industry is paramount when it comes to the goal of having more women fill these openings.”
In addition to the exhibition and the impressive speaker line-up, the conference also included a “Girls in Aviation Day,” an event aimed at exposing the next generation of aviation professions to explore aviation-focused programs at universities, flight schools, and airline pathways.
“It was inspiring to see such early interest in a career in aviation. We met a young girl whose father was in the air, piloting an American Airlines plane. Seeing her excitement when she realized that Aireon was tracking his flight in real-time was a standout moment,” said Elliott.
