John Illson leverages 45 years of leadership experience in flight operations and international aviation policy development to provide consulting services across a wide array of projects. He began his career as a professional pilot, accumulating over 18,000 hours of experience as a captain on Airbus, Boeing, British Aerospace, Fokker, and McDonnell Douglas aircraft during his 27-year flying career.

John transitioned from flying in 2005 to join the International Air Transport Association (IATA) where he led multiple safety initiatives including the development of airline safety management systems and the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

John then served as Chief of Operational Safety at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) where was responsible for development of international Standards associated with airworthiness, flight operations, personnel licensing, and safety management.

After completing his tenure at ICAO, John led Advanced Air Mobility initiatives at Uber and Supernal, developing operational safety programs for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

In 2024, John joined the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a Senior Advisor to the Administrator, responsible for the development of recommendations for the transformation of the agency’s safety oversight system.

Captain Illson holds a degree in Public Administration from Georgetown University as well as master’s degrees in business administration and international policy from the University of Pittsburgh.  He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautic Society.