ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Flight Safety Foundation will recognize two highly regarded industry stalwarts for their leadership, innovation, and overall contributions to aviation safety during the 79th annual International Aviation Safety Summit, scheduled for Nov. 10–12, 2026, in Montreal. “Is Aviation Really Ready to Scale Safely? Leadership for Growth, Complexity, and Disruption” is the theme of this year’s summit.
IASS 2026, which will be held at International Civil Aviation Organization headquarters in Montreal, is expected to bring together dozens of subject matter expert speakers and panelists and more than 350 attendees from across the global aviation ecosystem to explore what can be learned from the past and what needs to be reimagined for the future if aviation is to meet the challenges of rapid growth, increasing complexity, and frequent disruption.
Parimal Kopardekar, Ph.D., acting director of the Airspace Operations and Safety Program in the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, will receive the Foundation’s David Morrison Innovation Award for his visionary leadership and technical expertise in developing NASA’s uncrewed aircraft systems traffic management (UTM) concept. The David Morrison Innovation Award, which is presented annually, recognizes an individual, a team, or an organization for notable innovation in civil aviation. The award is for both technological innovation and process transformation.
Tzvetomir Blajev, operational safety coordinator at EUROCONTROL and former chair and long-time member of the Foundation’s European Advisory Committee, will receive the Foundation’s Jerome Lederer Safety Leadership Medal in recognition of his extraordinary ability to bring together disparate stakeholders from across the aviation ecosystem to collaborate and advance the cause of aviation safety around the world. He was instrumental in development of the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions and the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions.
The Jerome Lederer Safety Leadership Medal was established to recognize an individual or team for making a significant contribution to the advancement of civil aviation safety through demonstrated organizational or industry leadership and by developing or advancing programs that will have a lasting impact on civil aviation. As was the case with David Morrison, Lederer was one of the founders and early leaders of Flight Safety Foundation.
“Innovation and leadership are essential to enabling aviation to scale safely as the industry grows, complexity increases, and disruptions become more commonplace,” said Dr. Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Foundation. “It is appropriate that we recognize PK and Tzvetomir at IASS this year. Both of them are highly regarded leaders and innovators and have made significant contributions to advancing aviation safety now and into the future.”
The awards will be presented on Tuesday, Nov. 10, during a special dinner held in conjunction with IASS 2026. For more information on IASS 2026, including the latest agenda, speakers, and registration, please visit the IASS 2026 page on the Foundation’s website.
###
About Flight Safety Foundation (flightsafety.org)
Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education, and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation’s mission is to connect, influence, and lead global aviation safety.
Media Contact:
Frank Jackman
Director, Communications and Research
+1 703.739.6700, ext. 116
jackman@flightsafety.org