29 years of Safety Standdown: Showcasing Bombardier’s commitment to aviation safety

We’re on a roll here at Bombardier! Last month, we shared exciting news about our first-place finish in product support surveys conducted by AIN and Professional Pilot Magazine. 

As we move into September, the spotlight shifts to aviation safety as we prepare to roll out Bombardier’s 29th Safety Standdown, Nov. 11-13, 2025, in Wichita, Kansas. 

Coincidentally, I joined Bombardier in the same year as the very first Safety Standdown. It was 1996, and the Learjet flight operations team met in Wichita to discuss human factors. Since then, I’ve watched this event grow alongside the industry’s collective realization that safety isn’t confined to the cockpit. All of us – pilots, flight attendants, maintainers, ground support teams and leaders – have crucial roles to play.   

Accordingly, the theme of our 2025 Safety Standdown is “Own the Outcome”. It is a call for every aviation professional to take responsibility for their link in the safety chain. This year’s event reminds us that it takes just one fracture in that chain to manifest an adverse event. 

The 2025 Safety Standdown will feature exciting speakers, seminars and discussions. We hope you will be inspired to learn new concepts, apply them in your daily work, and share new knowledge with your colleagues. Whether you attend in person or virtually, Bombardier aims for the multiplier effect. Please take what you learn and pass it along! 

And, speaking of passing along knowledge, Bombardier’s Emerging Leaders Program encourages the next generation of aviation professionals to attend Safety Standdown. This initiative includes a fund to help students cover the cost of associated travel and accommodations. Thanks to your generous donations, we’re accepting up to 50 applications with the goal of assisting up to five students with subsidies this year! Find out how to apply and how to donate here. 

Safety is embedded in the Bombardier culture. It lives in our production facility, in our service centres and at our headquarters in Montreal. But safety also transcends companies and aircraft types. In that spirit, I extend a warm invitation to every industry professional to join us in Wichita this November at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Come in person or attend online via our live webcast. You’re welcome, no matter what job you do or what aircraft you operate. 

Event registration is open now. Click here to sign up and follow our LinkedIn page for the latest event updates. 

See you in Wichita! 

Sincerely,  

Chris Milligan 

VP, Pre-Owned Aircraft Services & Flight Operations 

Bombardier