Delta CEO Richard Anderson has been appointed as the new chairman of airline association IATA.
Anderson took over duties as chairman from Qantas CEO Alan Joyce at IATA’s annual general meeting in Cape Town.
“The airline industry needs a strong voice to address the challenges that we face,” said Anderson. “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.
Tyler paid tribute to Joyce whose “strong leadership which guided us through a challenging year even as his own airline embarked on a major new business strategy and partnership”.
“The IATA board of governors will benefit from Richard’s enthusiasm and many years of industry know-how,” added Tyler. “At the top of the year’s agenda is the environment.
“We must use the strength of our united industry position on the environment to help governments reach a global agreement on market-based measures at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Assembly later this year.
“In addition, we have staked out ambitious targets to improve safety in Africa and we will continue to move forward on a New Distribution Capability to give air travel consumers the ability to shop with confidence in all airline sales channels.”