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RAA Leaders Conference

The Regional Airline Association's flagship annual gathering, in its sixth year under the Leaders Conference branding. Three days at the Capital Hilton in Washington DC pulling together regional airline CEOs, purchasing officials, FAA and DOT leadership, congressional aviation staff, and industry experts on the policy and partnerships shaping US regional aviation.

September 22–24, 2026Capital Hilton, Washington, United States~800 attendees

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What to expect

RAA Leaders Conference is the senior-executive room for the US regional airline industry. The format is policy- and partnership-focused rather than trade-show wide — regional carrier CEOs and presidents present, FAA Administrator and senior DOT leadership keynote, and the working sessions cover pilot supply, scope clause realities, Essential Air Service, FAA reauthorization, the regional fleet replacement question, and the workforce pipeline. Washington DC siting is deliberate: the policy track is built around access to congressional aviation staff, DOT, and FAA leadership in their home environment. The exhibit and sponsor side is meaningfully smaller and more curated than the historical RAA Convention format — purchasing officials and supplier partnerships are the focus rather than general trade-floor traffic. The most strategic conversations happen in pre-booked CEO-and-VP meetings and at the evening receptions; the Capital Hilton's room block and walkability concentrate the social schedule.

Quick facts

Dates

September 22–24, 2026

Location

Capital Hilton
Washington, United States

Estimated attendance

~800

Exhibitors

~60

Registration

from USD 1,495 RAA member, USD 1,995 non-member

Languages

Regulatory focus

FAA

Also known as

RAA, RAA Leaders Conference, Regional Airline Association Leaders Conference, RAA Annual Convention, RAA 2026

Who attends

Regional airline CEOs, presidents, and VPs (SkyWest, Republic, Envoy, PSA, Endeavor, Mesa, GoJet, CommutAir, Piedmont, Air Wisconsin and the broader US regional carrier community), regional airline purchasing officials, FAA Administrator and senior FAA leadership, DOT leadership, congressional aviation committee staff, simulator and training-device manufacturer executives, MROs serving the regional fleet, and senior leadership from the largest pipeline flight schools.

Why flight schools attend

RAA Leaders Conference is a CEO-level room, not a recruiter room. For flight schools, the value is in face-time with regional airline presidents and VPs of flight operations to scope or maintain partnership-level relationships — direct-entry programmes, cadet pipelines, ATP CTP delivery arrangements. The senior-executive format makes it the best annual touchpoint for schools where airline partnerships are already a board-level discussion. Schools without an existing senior-airline-relationship or partnership ambition typically find more recruiter-density value at FAPA's career conference or in the exhibit halls at WATS and NBAA-BACE.

Frequently Asked Questions

It's the successor format. RAA repositioned its flagship event under the Leaders Conference branding to focus more narrowly on senior-executive policy and partnership work, and relocated it to Washington DC for proximity to FAA, DOT, and congressional aviation staff. The Leaders Conference is now in its sixth year (2026). The exhibit-hall and broader trade-show energy of the historical Annual Convention format is smaller; the policy and CEO-level density is meaningfully higher.

Selectively. The format is CEO and VP-focused, not recruiter-focused. Schools without an existing senior-airline relationship or partnership ambition typically find more direct recruiter-density value at FAPA's career conference or in the exhibit halls at WATS and NBAA-BACE. Schools with a partnership already in flight, or with a credible partnership pitch to take directly to a regional president, find the senior-executive access uniquely efficient.

RAA Leaders Conference 2026 runs September 22-24 2026 at the Capital Hilton in Washington DC. Confirmed registration is published via raa.org/events/2026-raa-leaders-conference/.

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