June 8–12, 2026
San Diego, CA
AIAA | Aviation Forum 2026 is a trade show in San Diego, CA.
More detailed information about this show will be added soon.
The 2026 program is organized around the theme "From Velocity to Altitude – Accelerating Toward Tomorrow," spotlighting the accelerating pace of aviation technology.
Key features include:
Speakers represent leading aviation agencies, companies, and universities worldwide, including NASA, the FAA, Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, RTX, Rolls-Royce, Northrop Grumman, and Embraer.
According to AIAA, the 2026 forum drew approximately 2,000 attendees from 35 countries, featuring 100+ speakers. The technical program included around 800 technical presentations (AIAA also cites over 1,000 presentations spanning more than 20 research topics) across roughly 240 technical sessions, along with 6 in-person courses and workshops. The audience spans commercial aviation, defense, academia, government, and industry.
Registration is available online through the AIAA AVIATION Forum website via the official registration portal.
Published full-conference professional rates for the 2026 forum were:
Early-bird pricing rewards registering ahead of the deadline, and AIAA membership reduces registration costs. Additional passes for courses, workshops, and co-located symposia may be available. Check the official site for current rates, student and government pricing, and deadlines for the upcoming edition.
The AIAA AVIATION Forum is produced by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the world's largest aerospace technical society, which has nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries and 100 corporate members. The forum has established itself as a leading annual gathering covering the full integrated spectrum of aviation business, research, development, and technology, and rotates among major U.S. cities. Recent and upcoming editions include San Diego (2026) and future forums announced by AIAA.
1 Market Place
The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is an iconic waterfront hotel on San Diego Bay in the heart of downtown, just steps from the San Diego Convention Center and the historic Gaslamp Quarter. It offers more than 320,000 square feet of flexible event space, including roughly 140,000 square feet of dedicated indoor meeting space, with 4 ballrooms (the largest is the 34,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom, which can be divided into four sections), 47 breakouts, and 45 conference suites. The AAA Four Diamond property features 1,628 guestrooms and suites with Pacific Ocean and city views, two rooftop pools, a 24-hour fitness center, complimentary Wi-Fi, a spa, and multiple on-site restaurants including the waterfront Sally's Fish House & Bar and the 40th-floor Top of the Hyatt sky lounge.
The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego offers convenient on-site valet and self-parking. Per the forum's travel page, overnight valet parking is approximately $75 per night and self-parking is approximately $55 per day (rates vary by season and are subject to change). Off-site garages and pre-booked spots near the venue are also available through services such as SpotHero.
By air: San Diego International Airport (SAN) is the nearest major airport, roughly 3 miles (about 10 minutes by car) from the venue, with 12 rental car companies at its Rental Car Center.
By rail/bus: Santa Fe Depot is about 0.5 mile away, served by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and the NCTD COASTER commuter rail.
Getting around: The MTS San Diego Trolley (Green Line) stops at the nearby Seaport Village Station, connecting to Downtown, Little Italy, Old Town, and Fashion Valley. The Coronado Ferry runs from the nearby waterfront, and taxis, Uber, and Lyft are readily available throughout the city. The downtown location is highly walkable.
The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego serves as the primary forum hotel; AIAA typically arranges a discounted room block (for the 2026 forum, standard attendee rooms were $299 plus tax, with a government per-diem option). The hotel is in downtown San Diego's Embarcadero/Marina district, within walking distance of Seaport Village, the Gaslamp Quarter, and the San Diego Convention Center. Numerous additional hotels line the downtown waterfront and Gaslamp Quarter nearby, including the Hilton San Diego Bayfront and Omni San Diego Hotel, both a short walk or ride away.
The 2026 AIAA AVIATION Forum takes place June 8–12, 2026, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, located at 1 Market Place, San Diego, CA 92101.
The forum is designed for aviation professionals across industry, government, and academia, including aerospace engineers, researchers, program managers, defense and government leaders, corporate decision makers, and students. It uniquely brings together the commercial, military, space, and general aviation communities.
The 2026 theme is "From Velocity to Altitude – Accelerating Toward Tomorrow," with content on AI in the cockpit, electric aircraft, hydrogen propulsion, hypersonics, eVTOL, and autonomy. The technical program features over 1,000 presentations across more than 20 research topics, plus keynote plenaries, courses, and workshops.
Registration is handled online through the official AIAA AVIATION Forum website. Full-conference professional rates for 2026 ranged from about $1,099 for early-bird members to $1,599 for standard non-members, with AIAA membership and early registration lowering the price.
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is about 3 miles away, and the Santa Fe Depot rail station is roughly half a mile from the hotel. The Manchester Grand Hyatt serves as the forum hotel, offering an AIAA room block, and it sits within walking distance of Seaport Village, the Gaslamp Quarter, and the Convention Center.
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