Winners announced for Aviation Week's 69th Annual Laureate Awards. November 10, 2026, 21:35 GMT Award Honors Outstanding Achievements in Aviation, Aerospace & Defense and Winners will be Recognized on March 4 in Washington, DC WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, November 10, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / - WASHINGTON, November 10, 2026 - Aviation Week by Informa announced today the recipients of the 69th Annual Laureate Awards (#AWLAUR), honoring extraordinary achievements in global aerospace. Winners will be celebrated at the Laureate Awards, taking place on March 4, 2027, at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. At that time a Grand Laureate in each of the categories will be named from among the honorees. The award categories are Commercial Aviation, Defense, Space, Business Aviation, MRO, Heroism and, new this year, Innovators. In addition, Aviation Week will bestow Lifetime Achievement and Pathfinder Awards. Four cadets and midshipmen from the U.S. military academies will be recognized as Tomorrow's Leaders, honoring young men and women who have chosen career paths in the armed forces. PwC serves as the Laureate Awards Executive Sponsor. "The Laureates Awards represent the highest distinction in our industry, and Aviation Week is honored to have recognized excellence and innovation through this program for nearly 70 years," said Greg Hamilton, President of Aviation Week. "We are continually inspired by the ingenuity, vision and groundbreaking achievements of this year's honorees, and look forward to celebrating their contributions and impact on the industry in March." Joe Anselmo, Aviation Week's Editor-in-Chief, said "Each year, Aviation Week editors single out great achievements, innovators and business leaders in aviation, space and defense. This year's list of winners is another impressive group. In addition, we've established a new category to shine a light on innovators whose achievements are contributing to the industry's progress." In addition to the Laureate Awards, Aviation Week will recognize the "20 Twenties" in partnership with Accenture. This program recognizes the accomplishments of 20 science, technology, engineering and mathematics students in their 20s and currently enrolled in a master's degree or bachelor's degree program. The Laureate Winners are: COMMERCIAL AVIATION CRJ-450/550 and United Airlines/GoJet/SkyWest The CRJ-550 and -450 give new life to aging MHIRJ regional jets as mainline carriers seek to offer premium amenities on regional partner service. The CRJ-550 paved the way, a 50-seat, two-class reconfigured Bombardier CRJ-700, born out of a United/GoJet collaboration and also operated by Delta. Introduced this spring was the CRJ-450, a three-class, 41-seat reconfigured CRJ-200, with which SkyWest will launch service for United this year. Google and Industry Partners Contrails Trials Google has become a leader in trying to reduce aviation's impact on the climate, studying how contrails can be avoided and opening the door to reducing their effect. Operation Blue Skies, a UK government-backed, airspace-scale contrails mitigation trial, launched its first phase this winter. It aims to establish the feasibility of adjusting commercial flight altitudes to avoid the formation of persistent warming contrails over the North Atlantic. Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines CEO In a decade, Minicucci helped Alaska Airlines through two major acquisitions - Virgin America in 2016 and Hawaiian Airlines in 2024. The acquisition of Hawaiian has brought widebody aircraft and an established Pacific network. Under Minicucci's leadership, the company is evolving into a premium global airline from its domestic roots, building its Seattle base into an international gateway. NASA/GE Aerospace Electrified Propulsion Flight Demonstration team A GE Aerospace-led team including Boeing, Beta Technologies and NASA completed the world's first high-altitude hybrid-electric flight at commercial airline operating levels over 30,000 ft. with the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration program. Equipped with a megawatt-class propulsion system, the converted Saab 340B crossed the Atlantic in July 2026 for the Farnborough International Airshow. Orbis Flying Eye Hospital A staggering 90% of all vision loss is treatable or preventable. For decades, Orbis has been providing life-changing medical services in some of the most underprivileged regions of the world. Using a modified McDonnell Douglas MD-10, the non-profit organization utilizes its flying hospital to train doctors and provide eye surgery to patients in remote regions lacking sufficient medical infrastructure. Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar and CTO Selçuk Bayraktar The Bayraktar brothers have turned the company founded by their father from a little-known Turkish car parts maker into a world-leading provider of military uncrewed aircraft. The Baykar Kizilelma collaborative combat aircraft has now demonstrated an air-to-air missile engagement, while they have expanded the industrial reach through a joint venture with Leonardo to build their drones in Europe. Drone Dominance Program The Pentagon's Drone Dominance program is a distinctly U.S. approach to creating an industry from nothing. The program aims to build the sector's annual production capacity to hundreds of thousands - and one day millions - of units over the course of just a few years with a series of "gauntlet" competitions, government orders, loans, a ban on foreign competition and help from entrepreneurs. Startup Hermeus's Quarterhorse Mk. 2.1 reached Mach 1.21 on its third flight in May 2026, the first privately developed uncrewed aircraft to go supersonic. The Mk.2.1. also deployed an inert weapon under a U.S. Defense Innovation Unit award. The next Quarterhorse - targeting Mach 2 - has been completed and a license secured from Pratt & Whitney to produce the F100-229 engine at the core of its turbine-based combined-cycle propulsion concept. Hypersonica Anglo-German startup Hypersonica successfully undertook its first hypersonic missile flight test in February 2026, the demonstrator exceeding Mach 6 and flying more than 300 km (185 mi.) With the test, the Munich-based startup became the first to carry out a privately funded European hypersonic flight, demonstrating that businesses in Europe can move with pace to address critical technology needs. U.S. Navy and RTX AIM-424 Malice Team In secret, the U.S. Navy and RTX Corp's Raytheon operating unit developed the longest-ranged air-to-air missile in the American arsenal. The revelation of the AIM-424 Malice builds on the previous secret developments of the Raytheon AIM-174 Gunslinger and Lockheed Martin AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, providing a portfolio of essential weapons to counter rising air-to-air threats. Artemis II Mission Team In April 2026, NASA's Artemis II mission returned astronauts to deep space for the first time since the Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972 with their nine-day flight around the Moon, setting the stage for a lunar landing targeted for 2028. The mission demonstrated the viability of Lockheed Martin's Orion capsule, designed to support a crew of four for up to 21 days. NASA Perseverance Rover NASA's Mars rover Perseverance now holds the record for off-Earth driving, passing the 28 mi. (45 km.) mark in October 2026 on its 2,006th day on the Red Planet. Perseverance's original mission called for no more than 12.4 mi. of driving as the rover explores an ancient lakebed and collects samples for a future return to Earth. Skyroot Aerospace Skyroot Aerospace reached orbit on the first try with its Vikram-1 rocket, lofting India into the group of countries with a private startup ready to serve the global space economy. Using in-house developed engines, Skyroot deployed its own and customer payloads with its inaugural launch, demonstrating how the launch business is diversifying geographically. U.S Space Force Remote Modular Terminal The U.S. Space Force's Space Rapid Capabilities Office tapped Northstrat, now GRVTY-owned, and CACI International to design and build new satellite jammers that would be low-cost, easily transportable and, most importantly, would work. Within two years, 24 prototype Remote Modular Terminals were delivered to commands around the globe and used in combat in 2026 to disrupt adversary satellite links. Victus Haze Mission Team The U.S. Space Force, Rocket Lab and True Anomaly demonstrated progress in the critical arena of tactical responsive space operations with the Victus Haze mission, beginning in June 2026. Rocket Lab launched in less than 17 hr. to deploy its Puma spacecraft, which then took turns tracking, imaging and conducting on-orbit maneuvers with True Anomaly's Jackal vehicle in low Earth orbit. BUSINESS AVIATION Eric Martel, Bombardier CEO As President and CEO of Bombardier, Martel has led the Montreal-based company through a five-year turnaround that transformed it from an over-leveraged company into a pure-play business aviation powerhouse. Bombardier generated $9.55 billion in revenues in 2025 - $2 billion more than expected. Martel's team achieved operational excellence and positioned the company for sustained growth. Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X The Pearl 10X is Rolls-Royce's most advanced turbofan for the business aviation sector. Now powering the Dassault Falcon 10X in flight tests, the 18,000 lb.-thrust engine builds on Rolls' Advance2 technology program, with new features including 3D-printed combustor tiles. Successful development represents a key milestone in Rolls' strategy to restore its leading position at the top end of business aviation. Skyports Infrastructure Skyports Infrastructure is leading the development of vertiports for advanced air mobility. The UK company is pursuing a dual strategy of electrifying existing heliports in Western markets and building out greenfield vertiports in the Middle East. In New York, the company operates the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (now renamed the Downtown Skyport), which it is modernizing. Textron Aviation Special Olympics Airlift Textron Aviation's Special Olympics Airlift demonstrates business aviation's highest purpose through action. In 2026, the company orchestrated the ninth edition of the world's largest peacetime airlift, mobilizing hundreds of volunteer pilots to transport 800 athletes and coaches to the USA Games in Minnesota. The operation featured aircraft arrivals every 3 minutes over 10 hours. Unither Bioelectronics A subsidiary of U.S. biotech company United Therapeutics, Unither Bioelectronics in April 2026, in Bromont, Quebec, conducted the world's first airport circuit flight of a piloted hydrogen-electric-powered helicopter. The Robinson R44 was modified with a zero-emission propulsion system using gaseous hydrogen and fuel cells. The company is now working with Robinson Helicopter to certify a liquid-hydrogen-powered R66 for organ deliveries. In 2026, AAR Corp. repositioned itself as an aviation and defense aftermarket solutions company through strategic acquisitions and the launch of Airvoyant, a parts procurement platform. The acquisitions -including HAECO Americas, Aircraft Reconfigured Technologies and a stake in MRO Holdings - result in a scaled and connected business designed for circular growth through its broader range of solutions. CAAC/AFRA Disassembly Accreditation The Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association and Block Aero worked with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to develop the AFRA-CAAC Parts Registry Program, offering Chinese airlines and MROs a path to purchase used serviceable material from foreign suppliers. CAAC recognized the program's disassembly accreditation in September 2026, with around 60 USM specialists already accredited. The program opens an important new USM market. GKN Aerospace GKN Aerospace has advanced engine repair capabilities through directed energy deposition technology, enabling the restoration of high-value Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan components that conventional repair methods could not handle. By applying additive manufacturing techniques to complex engine parts, the company is demonstrating how innovative repair processes can extend component life, reduce material waste, and strengthen aftermarket support for new-generation engines. MHIRJ Academy Recognizing the MRO workforce shortage, MHIRJ developed an internal training program that creates career pathways for individuals with no prior aviation background. MHIRJ Academy provides 11 weeks of paid sheet-metal structures training that prepares participants for jobs at the company's service centers. Launched in West Virginia, the MHIRJ Academy has expanded to Arizona, and by early 2027 expects to have produced more than 100 structures technicians. Sanad Group To meet the aviation industry's growing demand for integrated support, Abu Dhabi's Sanad invested more than $218 million to expand repair capabilities, testing infrastructure, maintenance capacity and workforce development. Under CEO Mansoor Janahi's leadership, the company launched its asset management business with $100 million in investments, creating an integrated engine lifecycle offering. U.S. Air Force Combat Search and Rescue Dude 44 Alpha Rescue Team Within hours of a U.S. Air Force F-15E being shot down over southwestern Iran on April 3, the U.S. Air Force combat search and rescue task force extracted the pilot in a daring daylight operation involving Sikorsky HH-60W helicopters, A-10 attack aircraft, HC-130 refuelers and other support assets located and rescued the pilot with the call sign of Dude 44 Alpha. FlyDubai Flight 1073 Captain Smit Machchhar and Deadheading Crew On September 30, 2026, Captain Smit Machchhar was flying a Boeing 737-8 on a scheduled flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. During the flight, he was attacked by his first officer who intended to use the aircraft for a terrorist attack in Israel. Machchhar, seriously hurt, fought back and managed to open the cockpit door to get help from passengers and two deadheading pilots who ultimately landed the aircraft. PATHFINDER Kyle Clark, Founder and CEO, Beta Technologies Kyle Clark founded Beta Technologies in 2017 with the goal of taking a pragmatic, incremental approach to electrifying aviation. Almost a decade later, Beta's Alia has flown more than 250,000 nm in the U.S. and overseas, farther than any other electric aircraft, many of those miles with Clark as test pilot. Today, Beta is flying conventional- and vertical-takeoff-and-landing versions of the Alia and developing piloted and autonomous variants for cargo and passenger missions with commercial and defense customers - all while deploying the charging network needed to support those aircraft. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline Tim Clark has been one of the most influential figures in the global airline industry. Active with Emirates Airline since its founding 42 years ago, he was one of the main architects of the carrier and its globally connected hub in Dubai. Over the decades, Clark has had a profound influence on aircraft design, he and his team driving the definition of large widebodies such as the Airbus A380 and A350, Boeing 777-300ER and the new 777-9, for which Emirates is by far the largest customer. INNOVATORS AGM-190 Havoc Spear Modular Missile Team U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command and Leidos. Beehive Industries 3D-Printed Frenzy 8 Turbojet Engine Coulson Aviation CFR Aero retardant for aerial firefighting Heart Aerospace X1 electric aircraft technology demonstrator Ukraine's 475th Separate Assault Regiment Drone-Based Casualty Evacuation ABOUT AVIATION WEEK BY INFORMA Aviation Week by Informa is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries, serving 1.7 million professionals around the world. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week to help them understand the market, make decisions, predict trends, and connect with people and business opportunities. Aviation Week's portfolio delivers award-winning journalism, data, intelligence and analytical resources, world-class tradeshows and conferences, and results-driven marketing services and advertising that helps our customers succeed. Aviation Week is part of Informa Markets, a division of Informa PLC. 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SkyWest Q3 earnings call highlights. October 29, 2026 Key points. * Strong third-quarter results: SkyWest's net income rose to $120 million, or $3.08 per share, while revenue increased 6% year over year to $1.1 billion as higher block-hour demand boosted performance. * Fuel costs reduced the outlook: Elevated prorate fuel expenses pressured results, prompting SkyWest to lower its 2026 EPS expectation to approximately $10.60 from about $11 previously. Management expects 2027 EPS to be similar, despite modest block-hour growth. * Continued fleet investment: SkyWest expects to reach 300 E175 aircraft by the end of 2027, begin CRJ450 operations for United by year-end 2026, and spend about $825 million on capital expenditures in 2027. * MarketBeat previews the top five stocks to own by November 1st. SkyWest NASDAQ: SKYW reported third-quarter 2026 net income of $120 million, or $3.08 per diluted share, as higher block-hour demand from airline partners lifted revenue while elevated fuel costs continued to weigh on its prorate business. Total revenue rose 6% from a year earlier to $1.1 billion and increased 1% sequentially. The company reported pretax income of $159 million, up 15% from the second quarter. Chief Executive Officer Chip Childs said the quarter included increased block hours but was affected by higher fuel costs in prorate operations. SkyWest said its employees operated more than 230,000 flights during the quarter with a 99.9% adjusted completion rate. Childs said the airline was consistently among the top three on-time carriers in the Department of Transportation's consumer reports. Fuel costs pressure prorate operations. Prorate fuel expense was $66 million in the third quarter, compared with $34 million a year earlier and $61 million in the second quarter. The year-over-year increase reflected a $22 million impact from higher fuel prices and a $10 million impact from increased prorate production, according to Chief Financial Officer Robert Simmons. The average fuel price for SkyWest's prorate flying was $4.56 per gallon, up from $3.04 per gallon in the third quarter of 2025 and $4.45 per gallon in the prior quarter. Management said demand in the prorate business remains strong. SkyWest added 16 aircraft to its prorate agreements during the first nine months of 2026, and President and Chief Operating Officer Wade Steel said the company continues to see demand from communities seeking service. However, he said SkyWest will be "extremely patient and disciplined" in adding markets and will only pursue routes that are accretive to the company. Childs said SkyWest was not concerned about the prorate model despite higher energy costs, adding that the company is seeing "extremely full flights," substantial activity and continued volume. He attributed some lower load-factor trends to pricing strategies used by partners in response to fuel costs rather than a weakening in demand. 2026 and 2027 outlook. SkyWest expects full-year 2026 block-hour production to increase approximately 5% from 2025. The company now anticipates 2026 GAAP earnings per share in the "$10.60 area," compared with $10.35 in 2025. Its prior outlook had indicated earnings around $11 per share, assuming a lower fuel-price environment. The updated 2026 outlook assumes prorate fuel costs of $4.90 per gallon on 14 million gallons in the fourth quarter. SkyWest said its third-quarter fuel expense created an approximately $13 million, or $0.26-per-share, headwind relative to its prior assumption of $3.65 per gallon. For 2027, SkyWest expects block-hour production to rise modestly, in the 1% to 2% range, with earnings per share similar to 2026. The company expects to recognize approximately $70 million of previously deferred revenue in 2027, down from roughly $100 million expected in 2026. Simmons said the expected $30 million decline represents an estimated non-cash headwind of about $0.60 per share. SkyWest's 2027 assumptions include prorate fuel costs averaging $4.30 per gallon on 60 million gallons. Simmons said a hypothetical $1 per gallon reduction from that assumption would translate to about $1.20 of incremental earnings per share. The company expects 2027 capital expenditures of about $825 million, including approximately $525 million for 18 new E175 aircraft, around $200 million for recurring maintenance-related spending, and about $100 million for CRJ fleet initiatives and spare-engine opportunities. Fleet investment and conversion plans. SkyWest took delivery of four E175 aircraft for United Airlines during the third quarter and expects seven more deliveries in the fourth quarter. Steel said the company has 63 E175 aircraft on firm order with Embraer, including 16 for Delta Air Lines, 11 for American Airlines and two for United. Of the 63 aircraft, 30 have been allocated to major partners and 33 remain unassigned. Those unallocated delivery positions begin in late 2028 and extend into 2029 and 2030, Steel said. The order includes flexibility to defer or terminate aircraft if SkyWest does not arrange a partner assignment. SkyWest expects its E175 fleet to reach 300 aircraft by the end of 2027. The company is scheduled to receive 18 E175s in 2027, although management said the majority of Delta deliveries are weighted toward the latter part of the year, meaning the full production benefit is not expected until 2028. The company also plans to begin operating its first CRJ450 for United before the end of 2026. SkyWest expects to operate 40 CRJ450s under contract with United and said the opportunity could potentially reach 100 aircraft. It plans to retrofit CRJ200s used in its prorate business into the new configuration. Steel said CRJ450 conversions, like CRJ550 conversions, are expected to take roughly two to three weeks per aircraft. SkyWest expects three or four aircraft lines to be out of service during the conversion process in 2027. The company also expects to place the remaining eight CRJ550s in its 50-aircraft United agreement into service by the middle of 2027. Balance sheet, depreciation and capital allocation. SkyWest ended the quarter with $569 million in cash, down from $601 million in the second quarter. During the period, the company repaid $119 million of debt, issued $187 million of new debt financing, invested $163 million in capital expenditures and repurchased shares. It had $238 million remaining under its share-repurchase authorization as of Sept. 30. The company said it generated more than $700 million of EBITDA during the first nine months of 2026 and invested more than $400 million in fleet and related assets since the end of 2025. Childs said SkyWest's debt is now $1 billion lower than it was at the end of 2022. During the quarter, SkyWest revised the estimated useful life of its E175 fleet to 30 years from 22 years, citing demand for the aircraft, contract extensions, industry practices and the lack of an alternative regional aircraft. The accounting change reduced third-quarter depreciation expense by $16 million. SkyWest expects total depreciation expense of about $338 million in 2026 and $350 million in 2027. Childs said the company's preferred capital deployment priority remains investments in fleet flexibility and cash-flow-generating aircraft, while management expects capital spending to begin declining somewhat after 2027. About SkyWest (NASDAQ:SKYW). SkyWest, Inc NASDAQ: SKYW is an airline holding company that operates regional passenger air service in the United States. Its primary subsidiary, SkyWest Airlines, connects smaller and midsized communities with larger airline hubs and provides scheduled flights under capacity-purchase agreements with major airline partners. SkyWest Airlines operates flights under the United Express, Delta Connection and Alaska Airlines brands, serving destinations throughout the United States and select locations in Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas. This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]. Before you consider SkyWest, you'll want to hear this. 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