American Airlines CEO Robert Isom and US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy have officially opened the 11th annual Safety Management System (SMS) Industry Forum with a fireside chat that focused on the state of aviation safety in 2026.
The conversation also marked the first time that a cabinet secretary has addressed the SMS Industry Forum, setting the tone for the annual, multiday event that aims to bring together a wide range of safety leaders from across the transportation sector.
Highlighting the priority of aviation safety within the sector as a whole, the fireside chat saw Duffy outline the Department of Transport’s focus on modernising the nation’s air traffic control system, making note of ongoing efforts to retain and recruit qualified air traffic controllers, as well as a 12.5 billion USD federal investment to upgrade infrastructure.
US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said:We're going to make this the best, but the safest system in the world.
I've got a team that rallies around that. It's true, if you don't have safety, you don't have the business. It's about being smart in how we think about the risk and the upgrades, all with the safety of the American people in the back of our minds.
