Michael Whitaker, administrator of the FAA, will be a featured speaker for the Opening Keynote Session on 22 October at the 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Whitaker, confirmed as FAA administrator by the US Senate in October 2023, assumes the role as leaders from across government and industry are working to implement a newly codified FAA reauthorisation law focused on ensuring that America retains its global leadership position in aviation.

“The pace of change in aviation is rapidly accelerating, with new technologies, new market entrants and new business models driving an evolution in thinking about on-demand air mobility,” says NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Through his experience and leadership role at the FAA, administrator Whitaker is uniquely positioned to speak to the factors driving the aviation industry, today and in the future. We welcome the opportunity to hear his perspectives.”

Whitaker previously served as deputy FAA administrator from 2013-2016. In that role, he led the agency's modernisation to a next generation national air traffic control system. He returned to the FAA last year after serving as chief operating officer of advanced air mobility developer Supernal.

In addition to leading the FAA's NextGen programme as deputy administrator, Whitaker also established the agency's Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office, the first FAA organisation dedicated to UAS operations in the national airspace system.

As a private pilot, Whitaker has served in several key industry roles, including senior vice president of alliances, international and regulatory affairs for United Airlines. He was later named group CEO at InterGlobe Enterprises, the holding company for IndiGo, India's largest airline.

In addition, Neil deGrasse Tyson, an award-winning astrophysicist, renowned futurist, best-selling author and inspiring speaker, will share his thought-provoking perspectives about the dazzling possibilities on distant horizons as a keynote speaker to open NBAA-BACE.

“Neil deGrasse Tyson is someone who needs no introduction,” says Bolen. “He is not only one of the most famous and recognisable scientists in the world today, but a visionary who fires imaginations with his ability to excite people about what is possible in the world of tomorrow. We are thrilled to have him join us as we gather to shape the industry's future at NBAA-BACE.”

Tyson's NBAA-BACE keynote address takes place amidst a 2024 cross-country touring schedule that includes sell-out engagements. He routinely serves as an authoritative source on astronomical phenomena for news outlets worldwide and is a visible social media presence with millions of followers.

Tyson rose to national prominence in the mid-1990s through his submissions to dozens of scientific publications, including columns for Natural History and StarDate magazines. During this period, he also became director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, a position he still holds today.

Tyson achieved further notoriety as host of the four-part, PBS NOVA mini-series ‘Origins’, based on his book Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution co-authored by Donald Goldsmith. His latest book Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilisation, links the history of human progress to the importance of scientific exploration and discovery in understanding humanity's place in the universe.