The International Air Transport Association has appointed Willie Walsh, the former CEO of International Airlines Group, as its next Director General and CEO. He will take the role from April 1, 2021, succeeding present Director General Alexandre de Juniac.

Walsh is an aviation veteran, having spent over 40 years in the airline industry. He started his career at Aer Lingus and worked his way up from pilot to CEO, subsequently moving to be CEO of British Airways. In 2011, after British Airways and four other airline brands combined to form IAG, he became the group's CEO. He has served on IATA's Board of Governors for almost 13 years, including a turn as Chair.

He will take over IATA's leadership amid a crisis that has been labelled the industry's all-time worst, with hundreds of thousands of jobs lost around the world in 2020 and millions more at risk, not to mention the impact on other industries that depend directly or indirectly on aviation for their custom. As the global industry association, with members—mostly major carriers—in 120 countries, and with a stated mission to help airlines operate "safely, securely, efficiently, and economically under clearly defined rules", IATA has had its work cut out for it since the pandemic started.

"Associations play a critical role in our industry and none is more important than IATA. It must be a forceful advocate for the industry—moving forward crisis recovery priorities, ensuring sustainability and helping airlines to survive by lowering costs, reducing taxes and eliminating regulatory blockers to success," Walsh said of his appointment. "Many of IATA’s services are essential for airlines to do business, including the settlement systems which in normal times handle about half the industry’s revenue—over $400 billion a year. And IATA’s industry standards are essential for safe and efficient global operations. The job of IATA Director General comes with great responsibility for an industry that is critical to the economic and social wellbeing of the world."

During the same Annual General Meeting that approved Walsh's appointment, IATA also appointed Robin Hayes, CEO of JetBlue, as Chair of the IATA Board of Governors with immediate effect, and additionally arranged for him to be succeeded by Rickard Gustafson, CEO of SAS Group, in two years' time.

Photo: Stuart Bailey via Wikipedia