Geopolitics, sustainability and diversity and inclusion will be the focus of the 78th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS), which kicks off this Sunday in Doha, Qatar.
The three-day event (19-21 June) will see aviation leaders gather to discuss the impact of the war in Ukraine on aviation operations, challenges to achieving sustainability goals, and the updated economic outlook as the industry recovers from the pandemic.
The event includes the Diversity and Inclusion Awards, which recognise organisations and individuals supporting IATA’s ‘25by2025’ initiative to make the aviation sector more gender balanced.
“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,” said IATA director general Willie Walsh.
“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.”
WATS will also feature a newly launched CFO Insights Panel to assess the industry’s financial recovery, and a CEO Insights Panel with executives from Avianca, KLM, Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia.