The next IATA director general will be a woman and someone who has never worked at an airline, a wow moment for an association led by former airline CEOs for most of its history, all of them male and of European descent.
Saadia Zahidi will be IATA’s ninth director general when she takes up the position on Nov. 1, succeeding Willie Walsh who relinquishes the role on July 31.
Four South American nations sign agreement to progressively open aviation markets and harmonize regulatory standards under new liberalization framework.
During IATA’s most recent AGM, the organization’s director general Willie Walsh addressed many timely challenges, including high jet fuel prices and SAF.
Airlines are still facing jet fuel difficulties as well as network changes, despite efforts to end the Iran war and reliably reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Global demand for air travel was down 2.2% in May as the Middle East conflict continued to impact carriers in the Gulf, according to figures published by IATA.
Although airline revenues are estimated to once again exceed $1 trillion for the third year running, IATA projects net profits will only reach $23 billion in 2026—a significant reduction from the $41 billion the association forecasted last December.
The conclusion to a long-running debate in Brussels over reforms to European passenger rights legislation has united industry executives in disappointment.
By Jens Flottau, Lori Ranson, Mark Pilling, Kurt Hofmann
Airline leaders from around the world converged on Rio last weekend for the IATA AGM at a time when the fallout from the Iran war is hitting the industry hard.
Airlines have partly succeeded at passing on higher costs to consumers this year, but carriers worry that they might soon ask for too much and strangle demand.
