At Friedman Memorial Airport in Hayley, Idaho, the busiest time of the year revolves around what locals call “flying” and “flying out”. These mark the arrival and departure of the private jet fleet, packed with billionaires heading to nearby Allen to meet with the company, a mountain resort that brings together some of the world’s most powerful big shots every July.
Tim Burke, director of Friedman Memorial Airport, told Observer via email that the conference aggravated the summer travel season in a bustling summer travel season, “definitely making it our busiest week here.” Burke said the airport is expected to have 150 to 175 corporate jets on the first day of events, which will be held on July 8 and July 12.
Silicon Valley heavyweights such as Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook put together Media Tycoons Rupert Murdoch, Bob Iger and Michael Bloomberg to put up the 2025 guest list for the conference. But what attendees actually do at the annual event is often described as “billionaire summer camps,” which remains a mystery.
By investment firm Allen & Co. Hosted, lectures, conferences and groups at secret meetings have been behind closed doors since the 1980s and are largely a forbidden area for the press. The heavy network is known for catalyzing major transactions. It usually influences Jeff Bezos's 2013 decision to receive the 1996 merger with the ABC by the Washington Post and Walt Disney Company.
Preparations start a few months in advance
Friedman Memorial Airport will take months of preparation to deal with the logistics needs of the annual jet influx, a task that makes its single runway and the rugged terrain around it even more challenging. “We want to make sure we are on the same page in advance to get to the route, departure procedures, ground procedures and establish clear communication lines,” said Allen & Co. Burke.
Managing air traffic is only half the challenge. Coordinating this flow with congestion on the ground is just as complicated. For example, if the arrival rate exceeds the airplane parking space, the system may be in trouble. By establishing close relationships across the airport’s agencies, Burke said, the facility “built a very smooth machine that can adapt to this type of activity without a large-scale ics.”
Another priority for Burke and his staff is to minimize the impact on local residents. To this end, the airport operates a year-round voluntary emission reduction program that requires aircraft to avoid operating between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., an initiative Burke calls it, resulting in high compliance rates.
Overall, Burke believes that the peak of air traffic is the net worth of the area. “While I’m not about the fact that not everyone loves the noise of planes, I think the overall impact on our local economy (our hotels, restaurants, breweries, transportation, companies and boutique craft stores) is positive,” Burke said. “I’m proud of the role our airport plays in connecting this amazing valley to the rest of the world.”
