More than 1,500 industry leaders, government officials and media representatives participated this prestigious event, hosted by Emirates Airline for the first time in the UAE and we as Aviation Turkey magazine had a chance to participate IATA AGM 2024.

A speech by His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, opened the 80th IATA General Assembly and World Air Transport Summit.

“Dubai’s world-leading connectivity places it at the crossroads of the planet. And it will soon be the center of the airline industry’s leadership as it hosts the 80th IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

“We look forward to hosting our industry colleagues in Dubai, Emirates’ home and hub. This is a city that has forged its place in global aviation and prospered, thanks to its visionary leaders and progressive policies that recognize air transport’s role as a key economic enabler. In line with this, last year aviation contributed 27% to Dubai’s GDP and supported $37 billion in gross value added.

There are always exciting new developments in Dubai, and I hope visiting delegates will get to a chance to experience this buzzing city and the UAE’s renowned hospitality for themselves,” said Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's SVP Sustainability & Chief Economist, Hemant Mistry, Director of Net Zero Transition, and Dr Alejandro Block, Manager of New Energy and Technologies, delivered key updates on the vital role of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in achieving net zero.

• 140 SAF projects are in progress by 100+ producers across 31 countries.

• HEFA remains the dominant SAF production method unless alternative pathways emerge.

• Focus on specific regions aligns with SAF-promoting policies.

•  Renewable Diesel capacity (4-5 MT) is expected to double by 2030.

The IATA SAF Registry aims to promote the adoption of SAF through accurate reporting of emissions reductions. Initial supporters include 17 airlines, 1 airline group, 6 national aviation authorities, 3 OEMs and 1 fuel producer.

Support for the development of the IATA SAF Registry has been secured from 

• Airlines: 

Air Canada, Air France-KLM , All Nippon Airways (ANA), American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, DHL Group,  Emirates, International Airlines Group (IAG), Japan Airlines, Kenya Airways, LATAM, Malaysia Aviation Group, Qatar Airways, SAS,  Singapore Airlines, SWISS,  United Airlines 

• National Authorities 

Brazil-ANAC, Japan-JCAB,  Kazakhstan-AAK,  Malaysia-CAAM,  Singapore-CAAS, Switzerland-FOCA 

• OEMs: 

Airbus, Boeing,  GE Aerospace 

• Fuel producers 

World Energy oneworld Alliance 25th Anniversary Press Conference at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) General Assembly 2024. Fiji Airways becomes a full member.

Next Destination… Delhi

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that IndiGo will host the 81st IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the World Air Transport Summit in Delhi, India, in 2025.

"We are delighted to bring the airline industry to Delhi, India's gateway city, for the 81st IATA AGM. With record aircraft orders, impressive growth and world-class infrastructure, India is set to become the world's third largest aviation market this decade," said Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General.

Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, added: "IndiGo is proud to host the 81st IATA General Assembly. India's rise in global aviation has been remarkable and we're delighted to welcome the global aviation community to Delhi. We look forward to meaningful dialogue on safety, diversity, equity, inclusion and sustainability as we meet the growing global demand for air travel."

This will be the third time that the IATA General Assembly has been held in Delhi, having previously been held in 1958 and 1983.

Pieter Elbers, CEO of Indigo, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the 2024-25 term.

The next IATA General Assembly will be held in Delhi on 8-10 June 2025, hosted by IndiGo.

IATA also announced Luis Gallego Martin, Chief Executive Officer, IAG (representing IBERIA), to serve as Chair of the BoG from June 2025, following Elbers’ term.

73 CEOs Commit to the IATA Safety Leadership Charter, Strengthening Global Safety 

International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the number of airline CEOs committing to the IATA Safety Leadership Charter reached 73. This further strengthens the already strong safety culture in the aviation industry, which has contributed to some of the best results ever achieved in 2023, including no fatalities among IATA member airlines or airlines on the IATA Operational Safety Audit Registry.

“Strong leadership and strong safety culture are interdependent. And both are needed to drive continuous improvements in safety performance. By putting their names to the IATA Safety Leadership Charter, 73 airline CEOs have set an example for their airlines and for the industry. In doing so, the Charter is a call to action that keeps in focus the critical obligation of airline CEOs to lead a safety culture that keeps their passengers and staff safe,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

The IATA Safety Leadership Charter was developed in consultation with IATA members and the wider aviation community. Its aim is to support industry executives in evolving a positive safety culture within their organizations around eight leadership principles.

Emphasising safety in words and deeds, promoting safety awareness among employees, the management team and the board of directors, guiding the integration of safety into business strategies, processes and performance measures, creating the internal capacity to proactively manage safety and collectively achieve the organisation's safety goals, creating an atmosphere of trust in which all employees feel responsible for safety and are encouraged and expected to report safety-related information, creating a working environment in which clear expectations of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour are communicated and understood, creating an environment in which all employees feel responsible for safety.

Regularly assess and improve the organisation's safety culture.

IATA aims to assist the industry in continuously improving safety performance through a three-pillar strategy consisting of Safety Leadership (including both safety leadership and safety culture), Safety Risk (identifying and mitigating risks through the collection and analysis of data from audits, accident reports and other sources), Safety Improvement (improving the safety performance of the airline industry).

When we looked at the participants from Turkey we met with Pegasus Airlines Chairperson of the board Mehmet T Nane and CEO Güliz Öztürk and SunExpress Ceo Dr. Max Kownatzki participated to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) AGM in Dubai.

Turkish Airlines, a major dealmaker, was naturally represented at the IATA General Assembly

Ayşe Akalın, Aviation Turkey's Editor-in-Chief, had a great meeting with Mr. Ahmet Bolat , Chairman of the Board of Turkish Airlines, at the IATA General Assembly in Dubai.

During several meetings at the event, Turkish Airlines and Air China reached a significant milestone in their strategic partnership by signing a free sale codeshare agreement yesterday. Turkish Airlines and KM Malta Airlines have signed a codeshare agreement effective from 15 June!

The agreement was signed at the IATA General Assembly in Dubai. This partnership will offer passengers more flexible travel options on direct flights between Istanbul and Malta. Under the agreement, KM Malta Airlines will place its marketing flight numbers on Turkish Airlines' Istanbul-Malta routes.

Commenting on the agreement, Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi said: "We are pleased to strengthen the cooperation between our two countries with this codeshare agreement with KM Malta Airlines. This partnership not only allows Maltese passengers to benefit from Turkish Airlines' extensive global network, but also encourages more visitors from Malta to explore our unique country, Turkey. Likewise, it will attract more visitors to the enchanting Mediterranean island of Malta. We look forward to a successful and long lasting cooperation".

David Curmi, Executive Chairman of KM Malta Airlines, added: "We are delighted to have Turkish Airlines as our codeshare partner. Istanbul, with its twice-daily flights to Malta, serves as an important hub offering our customers a wide range of destinations. In addition, this partnership will provide our international passengers with improved connectivity through Malta International Airport. It also demonstrates that KM Malta Airlines is recognised as a preferred partner by major airlines.

Exclusive Interview with Johan Pelissier, President of Region Europe and Head of Commercial Europe for Commercial Aircraft at Airbus

Just as the event was drawing to a close. We had an exclusive interview with Johan Pelissier, President of Region Europe and Head of Commercial Europe for Commercial Aircraft at Airbus in Dubai. We discussed the global and European aviation markets, Airbus' presence in Turkey, and the assessment of the cooperation following the historic order from Turkish Airlines.

We had a chance to join the announcement of IATA 2024 Diversity & Inclusion Award Winners;

• Inspirational Role Model:Kendra Kincade CEO and Founder, Elevate Foundation 

• High Flyer:Mafunase Ngosa Malenga Founder and Managing Director, Southern Africa Institute of Aviation Science and Technology 

• Diversity & Inclusion Team:British Airways 

• Special Commendation for High Flyer: Hana Al Awadhi SVP, HR Business Partner, dnata 

“The winners are true beacons of change in aviation, driving diversity and inclusion,” said Yvonne Manzi Makolo CEO of RwandAir and IATA Board Chair.

Each winner receives $25,000, sponsored by Qatar Airways. The awards were presented during the World Air Transport Summit in Dubai