Article by Avery Hartmans and Thomas Pallini
Original post at www.businessinsider.com
Private jets have begun crowding the airfield in Sun Valley as A-list guests arrive for Allen & Co.’s annual conference.
The gathering, known as “summer camp for billionaires” for its remote location and roster of high-profile guests, kicks off this week in Sun Valley, Idaho. But as the rich and powerful descend on the region, Friedman Memorial Airport, a picturesque airfield surrounded by grazing cattle, is being overrun with air traffic.
In fact, the airport was so busy Tuesday morning that the Federal Aviation Administration wouldn’t let planes from the West Coast to as far as Michigan and Canada take off from their departure points until the traffic eased in what’s known as a ground-delay program.
But the crowded airfield is nothing new. Because of the relative net worth of the attendees, private-jet charters to Sun Valley go through the roof each July, and locals have described seeing jets double-parked at the airport in years past.
This year’s guest list includes a typically high-profile crowd: Tech tycoons like Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Satya Nadella, Reed Hastings, and Ted Sarandos have all been invited, while media magnates including David Zaslav, Bob Chapek, and Shari Redstone are also on the list, according to Variety.
Other notable invitees include the billionaire Warren Buffett, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The Fox Business reporter Charles Gasparino reported that Bill Gates will be in attendance as well, though his inclusion on the guest list hasn’t been confirmed by other media outlets.
It’s unclear how well attended this year’s event will be. According to Vanity Fair, attendees will have to follow stringent vaccination and testing guidelines, including supplying their vaccination cards to the Mayo Clinic and getting tested for COVID-19 72 hours before arriving and again at the event.
Still, as the private jets land near Sun Valley, we can glean the identities of a few of the A-list arrivals.