The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has named Qantas CEO Alan Joyce as its new chairman.
Joyce succeeds KLM President & CEO Peter Hartman, whose one-year term expired at the conclusion of the association’s 68th AGM and World Air Transport Summit, which took place in Beijing this week.
Joyce’s appointment marks the latest step in an eventful year for the Irish Qantas chief, following a comprehensive restructuring of the Australian carrier and a series of union disputes that culminated with the two-day grounding of the entire Qantas fleet in October last year. He has led Qantas since 2008, prior to which he had spells with Jetstar, Ansett and Aer Lingus.
“IATA plays a critical role in the industry and I am honoured to take on the role of leading its Board of Governors,” said Joyce. “The top priorities, as always, will be safety, security, and sustainability. On top of that, I want to see IATA continue to deliver value to its members by being a strong advocate for the industry. Aviation delivers enormous economic benefits — supporting some 57 million jobs and $2.2 trillion in economic activity. We need to ensure that governments understand what is at stake when they are making key decisions on taxes, regulation, and capacity expansion,” he added.
Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General & CEO, thanked Peter Hartman for his service to IATA, and said he was “confident” that Joyce would make a worthy successor.
Joyce is the third Qantas CEO to serve as Chairman of IATA’s Board of Governors, following most recently James Strong (1999-2000).
