After 14 years as the leader of Airlines for America (A4A), the leading association of passenger and cargo carriers, President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio said that he will retire from the association at the end of 2025.
Under Calio’s leadership, A4A rebranded and honed its focus on being an influential voice in helping to shape legislative and regulatory policies and priorities that improve air travel and air cargo shipping for consumers. Known for his ability to build consensus, Calio transformed and re-launched the association by working collaboratively with airlines, labor unions, Congress, the executive branch and key government agencies as well as foreign governments to promote the safety, security and health of the U.S. airline industry.
“All of this has been possible because of A4A’s strong Board of Directors. I have been fortunate to work for and with some of the sharpest minds in business over the past 14 years and blessed with A4A Board Chairs Scott Kirby, Robin Hayes, Gary Kelly, Brad Tilden and Doug Parker, some of whom served twice. They have been willing to commit their time and to put aside the individual interests of their companies on behalf of the larger industry,” said Calio. “Together, we have accomplished so much for so many, and I have learned from their counsel and benefited from their enduring friendship. I am thankful to have worked alongside such a dedicated and strategic Board.”
Calio has led multiple FAA reauthorization negotiations and was instrumental in avoiding total crisis during the 2022 5G C-Band implementation. His leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic helped save the industry from ruin, working closely with Congress, labor organizations and other groups to create the Payroll Support Program and securing $60 billion as part of the CARES Act that kept airline employees on the job.
“We worked with both sides of the political aisle, both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, as well as labor, suppliers, manufacturers, various associations and others.” Calio said. “Our Board members were unified and laser focused on saving countless jobs, their companies and the U.S. airline industry.”
Simultaneously, Calio approached Harvard University’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to conduct independent research that examined air quality on airplanes and concluded that—because of multiple layers of protection—the risk of exposure to COVID-19 during air travel is extremely low.
More recently, Calio has advocated for addressing the air traffic controller shortage saying that more needs to be done to cover retirements and attrition facing the FAA. He has stressed the importance of implementing new strategies for recruiting, hiring and training—including reinvigorating the Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program. Calio has also addressed the need to ensure the FAA’s Facilities & Equipment budget is fully funded and that the FAA has the flexibility to address the most pressing modernization issues, especially as the U.S. airline industry is seeing record air travel, employing one million people and transporting millions of tons of cargo around the world, while remaining the safest mode of transportation.
Calio is known for building strong teams and prides himself on hiring the best of the best. “Success has many authors, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without my A4A colleagues who work each day for the betterment of our industry. It is my honor and privilege to work with incredibly talented professionals, who are also wonderful people and loyal friends,” Calio stated. “That said, I am starting my 15th year at A4A and the time to transition out has come. I am looking forward to new adventures.”
Calio, who joined the association in 2011, will retire when his contract ends and will continue to lead the association and assist board leadership in the search for his successor.
A4A Board Chairman and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and Board Vice Chairman and American Airlines CEO Robert Isom will be directing the search for Calio’s successor, to begin immediately.
A4A Board Chairman and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby commended Calio’s tenure saying: “Nick has been a leading voice for the airline industry and aviation in general during a time of both challenge and opportunity. He has been a strong advocate for our businesses, our employees and our customers in the halls of Congress, in the administration and overseas. Because of Nick, A4A is well-positioned to continue the mission to advance the airline industry and has a strong foundation on which his successor will build. We are very pleased that Nick will stay onboard to ensure a smooth transition.”
Former A4A Board Chairman and Chairman and CEO of Airbus in North America Robin Hayes (former JetBlue CEO) applauded Calio’s leadership commenting: “Nick personally turned A4A into the premiere and most influential trade association in Washington, D.C. His deep, meaningful relationships with people he has known for years coupled with his deep knowledge and his ability to get things done are exemplary. And Nick never gives up. The reason why we have an airline industry at all today is because of Nick’s formidable determination, strategic thinking and bold leadership. Everyone working in an airline today should be incredibly grateful for Nick and his wonderful team who are real superstars.”
Former A4A Board Chairman and former Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said: “Nick has always known how to wrangle our board members—who are all competitors—and drive very meaningful discussions and reach pragmatic compromise on a range of issues over the years. His greatest talent and most valuable contribution may have been his ability to manage the various opinions, competing interests and a few egos along the way. His work with Harvard’s NPLI regarding the air quality safety in the cabin was absolutely superb and was instrumental in providing confidence in air travel at a critical time and was critical to restarting air travel after the pandemic.”
Former A4A Board Chairman and former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker added: “Nick has done amazing things for our industry and for A4A. Under his leadership, we became a much stronger, more cohesive industry, and we became a stronger voice and a much more respected organization in D.C. That was especially apparent during the COVID pandemic when he led our effort to save hundreds of thousands of jobs, saved our industry and saved much of U.S. Commerce during that time.”
