The world’s largest gathering of airline leaders in Dublin from Wednesday will discuss measures to ensure the economic and social benefits of safe, secure, efficient and sustainable global air transport.

The 72nd Annual General Meeting of International Air Transport Association (IATA) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS) will take place in Ireland’s capital Dublin from June 1 to 3.
This year’s AGM and WATS take place against a backdrop of generally rising industry financial health but also a growing regulatory burden. Security, safety, and environment issues, however, remain top of the industry agenda.
The long-term trend shows safety is steadily improving, but recent tragedies including the fatal plunge into the Mediterranean Sea this month of an Egypt Air jetliner reinforce the importance of working together to fully understand and reduce the risk of future occurrence.
The industry also faces a vital year at International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) with the decision in September last year on whether to implement a global market-based measure for aviation.
The IATA AGM and World Air Transport Summit bring together CEOs and senior management of IATA’s 264 member airlines that together carry some 83% of global traffic. The global events provide a unique opportunity to hear first-hand the views of the industry’s top chief executives and leaders.
Stakeholders from across the value chain will participate in the event, including leaders from governments, international organisations, aircraft manufacturers and other industry partners, IATA said yesterday.
The AGM will open with keynote addresses by Shane Ross TD, Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, and Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is IATA's pre-eminent event. In addition to the statutory obligations, the formalising of industry positions and the evidencing of airline unity, the AGM provides a focus for emerging industry issues and a forum for members to meet and network.
IATA will see a change of guard in Dublin with Alexandre de Juniac, chairman and CEO of Air France-KLM, succeeding retiring Director General and CEO, Tony Tyler.
This will be the second IATA AGM to be held in Dublin, the first being in 1962.
Tyler said, “Dublin is set to be the capital of the global air transport industry as leaders gather for the 72nd IATA AGM and World Air Transport Summit. The airline industry’s most senior leaders will discuss measures to ensure the economic and social benefits of safe, secure, efficient and sustainable global air transport.”
IATA was founded in Havana, Cuba, in April 1945. It is the prime vehicle for inter-airline cooperation in promoting safe, reliable, secure and economical air services - for the benefit of the world's consumers. The international scheduled air transport industry is more than 100 times larger than it was in 1945. Few industries can match the dynamism of that growth, which would have been much less spectacular without the standards, practices and procedures developed within IATA.
At its founding, IATA had some 57 members from 31 nations, mostly in Europe and North America. Today it has some 260 members from 117 nations in every part of the globe.