One of the nation’s leading airline recruitment conferences will be held in Northwest Arkansas next year.
TakeOff North America will take place in November 2026 and bring together airline route planners and airport recruiters from across the continent.
The event’s destination sponsor is Northwest Arkansas National Airport and three of the region’s tourism organizations are also sponsors. They are Destination Rogers, Visit Bentonville and Experience Fayetteville.
Routes, a company in the United Kingdom that puts on air service development conferences worldwide, announced on Thursday that TakeOff will be in Northwest Arkansas.
“We’re thrilled to bring the ninth edition of TakeOff North America to Northwest Arkansas — a destination that has demonstrated remarkable air service development momentum in recent years, with growth continuing to accelerate throughout this year,” said Steven Small, the director of Routes.
“Our partnership with Northwest Arkansas National Airport, Destination Rogers, Visit Bentonville, and Experience Fayetteville for the 2026 edition exemplifies the power of regional collaboration in driving sustainable air service development and economic prosperity. We’re honored to contribute to Northwest Arkansas’s next chapter of growth and connectivity.”
XNA last hosted an airline recruitment conference in October 2015. It allowed airline employees who traveled to Northwest Arkansas for the event to see and experience the region first-hand. For some attendees, it was their first time trip to Arkansas.
“We’re honored to welcome TakeOff North America to Northwest Arkansas in 2026, said Aaron Burkes, the president and CEO of Northwest Arkansas National Airport. “This event celebrates collaboration and innovation in air service development, and we’re proud to showcase how our region’s growth and connectivity continue to strengthen year after year. Hosting TakeOff here reflects the momentum of both XNA and the entire Northwest Arkansas community.”
XNA officials attend airline recruitment events each year, where a key component is the series of one-on-one meetings between airports and airlines. These sessions function much like speed dates, giving airport representatives a short window to present the advantages of their market and make the case for new routes. In other instances, the discussions focus on strengthening existing partnerships and encouraging airlines already serving an airport to increase flight frequency or expand service to additional destinations.
TakeOff this year was held in Tallahassee, and its attendees included representatives of Allegiant Air, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Avelo and 10 other airlines. The largest airports do not usually send representatives to TakeOff, but this year’s group included the primary airports in Indianapolis, Reno, Omaha, Cleveland and Jacksonville.
