ETW STAFF – Mumbai
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Richard H Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines, has assumed his duties as chairman of the IATA Board of Governors. Anderson succeeds Alan Joyce, CEO and managing director of Qantas Airways, whose one-year term expired at the conclusion of the Association’s 69th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Cape Town. Anderson’s appointment is effective immediately and is for one year, ending with the conclusion of IATA’s 70th AGM in Doha, Qatar.
Anderson has spent more than 25 years in aviation. He was named Delta CEO in 2007 when he joined the airline from UnitedHealth Group. He began his aviation career in 1987 at Continental Airlines. In 1990, he started a 14-year career at Northwest Airlines, where he served as CEO from 2001 to 2004.
“The airline industry needs a strong voice to address the challenges that we face. Under the leadership of director general and CEO Tony Tyler, IATA has that voice. As I take on the chairmanship of the IATA Board of Governors, I look forward to working closely with Tony, with colleagues across our industry and with governments to promote the cause of aviation—the vitality of which is essential to the success of global trade and economic growth,” said Anderson.
IATA has announced Qatar Airways will be the host airline for the 70th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Transport Summit to be held in Doha from June 1 – 3 next year. “After a long 17-year gap, IATA is finally returning to the Middle East for their conference and I promise we won’t disappoint in their choice to bring this annual gathering of ours to my country. This is in recognition of the city and country fast emerging as a successful global aviation hub,” said Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways.
