NBAA Announces 2026 Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40 Honorees

The National Business Aviation Association announced its 2026 Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40 class on Sept. 8, 2026, recognizing rising leaders across the industry. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said the honorees "represent a diverse mix of experience and talent and are already contributing to their communities and mentoring the next generation of business aviation professionals," adding that they are "rising stars who are meeting our industry's challenges and driving business aviation forward."

Candidates for the recognition are nominated by fellow industry members, and final recipients are selected by NBAA's Young Professionals (YoPro) Council, described as a group of business aviation professionals and NBAA staff liaisons dedicated to building relationships among the industry's emerging leaders.

NBAA was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Washington, DC. The association represents 10,000 company and professional members and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community.

Recognition programs like the Top 40 Under 40 function as a visible pipeline mechanism: they surface names that peers and a dedicated council have already vetted, giving employers, committees and volunteer leadership roles a pre-screened pool to draw from. For an association representing 10,000 members, a peer-nominated, council-selected list also signals which qualities the industry currently values in emerging leadership, such as mentoring and community involvement.

The YoPro Council's continued role in selection points to how membership organizations use standing volunteer bodies to keep recognition programs credible and member-driven rather than staff-directed. Whether this year's honorees move into committee, board or council positions within NBAA over the coming cycles would be the next signal of whether the program is functioning as an actual leadership pipeline rather than a one-time honor.