LONDON – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) today announced that leaders in the global aviation industry are gathering in Doha, Qatar for the 78th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS).
Qatar Airlines, the Qatar flag carrier will act as host airline for the event.
Held between 19-21 June, the event attracts the industry’s most senior leaders, as well as key government officials, strategic partners and equipment suppliers.
Leader’s comments
The meeting perhaps bears a greater significance this year, given preceding world events, and the profound effect they have had on international aviation.
IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh echoed this, saying:
“In a few days, Doha will become the aviation capital of the world. The last time we met in Doha, in 2014, we were celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first airline flight.”
“This year’s AGM is another momentous occasion: Airlines are simultaneously recovering from the COVID-19 crisis, setting the path to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, working to improve gender diversity, and adapting to a geopolitical environment that is undergoing its greatest shock in over three decades.”
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker responded, saying:
“It is an absolute privilege to be hosting our industry partners in Qatar Airways’ home city, particularly during our milestone 25th year of operations.”
“Coming together face-to-face provides us with the opportunity to discuss lessons learnt from our recent years during the pandemic, global issues affecting us all in the here and now, and to plan the best way forward for the industry.”
World Air Transport Summit
The WATS will feature the popular CEO Insights Panel moderated by CNN’s Richard Quest and featuring Adrian Neuhauser, CEO, Avianca, Pieter Elbers, CEO, KLM, Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways and Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO, Virgin Australia.
Some topics of key significance will be addressed at the Summit, including:
- The updated industry economic outlook in the post-pandemic recovery stage
- The War in Ukraine and its implications for the globalized world
- The challenges to achieving sustainability in aviation, including net zero carbon emissions by 2050
Other matters pertinent to the global air transport industry will be discussed on the agenda, including: reducing the use of single use plastics, allocating scarce airport capacity, and ensuring safe carriage of lithium batteries.
The full AGM program can be viewed here.
About IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 290 airlines or 83% of total air traffic.
IATA supports many areas of aviation activity and help formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.
One of its key initiatives through 2022 has been to increase the readiness of member airlines for the transition to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as the main option to achieve net zero-carbon emissions by 2050.
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