An Evening Of Celebration In Dubai

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian received the 2024 ATW Airline of the Year award at the 50th ATW Air Transport Achievement gala in Dubai on May 31, saying he was proud to accept the trophy on behalf of the 100,000 women and men who work at Delta.

The gala dinner, held on the eve of the 80th IATA AGM, also saw ATW editor-in-chief Karen Walker announce and present the inaugural ATW Hall of Fame inductees. The initial nine ATW Hall of Famers represent airlines, airports and leaders who have been multiple ATW Award winners and have made significant contributions to the global air transport industry.

The 2024 inductees were: Air Canada (received by CEO Michael Rousseau); Air Serbia (received by CEO Jiri Marek); American Airlines (received by VP regulatory affairs Molly Wilkinson); Delta Air Lines (received by president Glen Hauenstein); Emirates Airline (received by president Tim Clark); Korean Air (received by chairman and CEO Walter Cho); Airlink (received by CEO Steven Smith); Knighthood Global chairman James Hogan; and Pittsburgh International Airport (received by CEO Christina Cassotis).

The Hall of Fame inductions will continue at future ATW Air Transport Achievement galas.

As the top winner at this year’s awards, Delta CEO Bastian received the Airline of the Year trophy saying, “On behalf of the 100,000 women and men of Delta Air Lines, we are proud and humbled to accept this great achievement. These are the people who make it happen. We have a lot of partners in the room tonight. Thank you for being here. You will make us better and you will keep our ecosystem growing strong. But it’s not the great planes we have, or the technology we deploy, or the airports that make us great—it’s our people. They’re the reason we’re No. 1, and they’re the heart and soul and passion behind our service.”

The importance of people was a recurring theme throughout the evening. Receiving the award for Air Cargo Operator of the Year, Air Canada’s Rousseau said, “I’m very pleased to accept this on behalf of the 40,000 employees at Air Canada. This is really their award.”

Leslie Thng, CEO at Singapore-based LCC Scoot, recipient of the Value Airline of the Year, said, “This award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of all our Scoot colleagues. This award will inspire us to continue to innovate, seek new opportunities, and push boundaries in our next phase of growth. And more importantly, to continue to invest in our people, our greatest asset, as we work to further enhance our position as Asia’s leading LCC.”

Thng, who has been promoted to the additional role of EVP Singapore Airlines Group, also received the Excellence in Leadership trophy on behalf of Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong. Thng noted, “This award is a tribute to the collective spirit and dedication of everyone in the Singapore Airlines Group.”

Former American Airlines chair and CEO Doug Parker received the Lifetime Achievement award, saying, “I want to thank my wife [Gwen], who is not just my partner in this, but a leader in it all. She helps me understand the value of what all the people at American Airlines and the entire industry do—hardworking people that are out there every day, taking care of our customers—and made sure that I didn’t just understand that, but that I made it my driving force to ensure that they were taken care of because they were in our care. And to me that’s what it’s about. We have enormous responsibility to take care of those who are out there doing the work every day, and to make sure that they know as long as they do that job well, they don’t have to worry about whether or not they’re going to have careers.”

This year marked the debut of the Humanitarian Force for Good Award, which is meant to put a spotlight on all the good the air transport industry does for people and trade. Aviation Week editor-in-chief Joe Anselmo presented the award in partnership with nonprofit Airlink CEO Steve Smith.

Receiving the inaugural award this year, United Airlines global community engagement manager Aaron Stash said, “Now more than ever when disaster strikes, airlines have a unique role to play in helping our communities get back on their feet. It is our privilege to support this important work to get volunteers and critical supplies and medicine where they’re needed most, as well as transport people and animals out of danger. Thank you for truly recognizing that good does lead the way.”

International Airlines Group (IAG), parent of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Level and Vueling, was named Eco-Airline of the Year. Receiving the trophy, IAG group head of sustainability Jonathon Counsell said, “At IAG, we consider that climate change is one of, if not the most critical issue facing our industry. We recognize that sustainability is an industry-wide challenge, and we will only solve it by collaborating together. We definitely see sustainability as a team sport … Together we can drive net zero emissions for aviation.”

And receiving the award for Airline Market Leader, Azul CEO John Rodgerson said, “We’ve built something pretty special in Brazil. We fly to 100 destinations no one else flies to. We serve 54 destinations in the Amazon Basin. The whole world is looking to save the Amazon, but first you need to connect the Amazon and that’s something Azul does that no one else does.”

The ATW Awards are held annually and presented by editors and analysts across the Aviation Week Network that include ATW, Aviation Week & Space Technology, CAPA-Centre for Aviation, and Routes.