Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu will pilot the country’s leading aviation industry lobbying group, as it seeks to shape an air traffic control system undergoing an overhaul.
Airlines for America, which is based in Washington, D.C., announced Monday that Sununu will assume the role of president and CEO in September, after the group’s current leader steps down.
In the announcement, Sununu said that he was “honored to join Airlines for America during this critical moment for an aviation industry that supports over 10 million jobs and serves as a key economic driver in communities big and small across the country.”
The trade group represents major carriers including American Airlines and United Airlines, as the industry works to shape regulations and policies in Washington. That includes an ongoing push to overhaul the nation’s ailing air traffic control system, which has repeatedly come under fire after a series of incidents including the fatal mid-air collision between a military helicopter and an American Airlines flight earlier this year.
Sununu served as New Hampshire’s governor for eight years, and before that, led his family’s ski resort. It isn’t clear if he has any experience in the aviation industry. In 2020, he did sign a law creating a framework for flying cars to utilize local roadways.
“Chris has consistently demonstrated strategic vision, operational expertise and a knack for getting hard things done,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said Monday.
In May of this year, Sununu took a position with a venture capital firm based in New York, partnering with a former classmate.
After not running for a fifth term, Sununu was recruited by some Republicans to run for Senate in 2026, a race he ultimately chose not to enter.
