DOHA: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is gearing up to hold its 70th Annual General Meeting (AGM) here from June 1 to 3. The annual event of the world’s largest civil aviation association will bring together over 240 airlines to debate and discuss on key issues facing the industry, said Hussein Dabbas, Regional Vice President at IATA for Africa and the Middle East.
Qatar Airways (QA) will be the official host of the three-day event which will be held in Qatar for the first time and return to the Middle East after 17 years.
“In June 2014 IATA is holding its AGM in Doha, with the gracious support of Qatar Airways as our host. We are very excited to be coming to Qatar, reflecting its growing presence in global aviation,” said Dabbas.
QA has been a member of IATA since 1997. In 2004, it became the first airline to join the registry of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and has till date secured the audit consistently with 100 percent compliance.
Notably the CEO of QA, Akber Al Baker, was last year voted onto the IATA board of governors. .
However, after being voted on to the IATA board, Al Baker had called for introducing some key reforms in the association to make it a more representative body so that IATA does not remain a “monopoly of few airlines of the West” and work to safeguard the interests of all the member airlines and passenger rights.
Dabbas said: “The IATA AGM is the high point of our year, bringing together our membership of 240 airlines to debate some of the most important issues facing aviation.”
He said that last year’s AGM shaped key industry positions on the environment, passenger rights and distribution. “I am sure that this year’s AGM will similarly focus on ways to increase aviation’s safety, sustainability and success, to benefit passengers the world over.
He also added that as part of its commitment to the environment, the aviation industry has taken the lead and set tough targets for carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and cutting emissions in half by 2050 compared to 2005.
The Peninsula
