Fact Sheet: IATA - International Air Transport Association

Mission: To represent, lead and serve the airline industry.

Leadership

  • Chairman of IATA Board of Governors (2009-2010), Tony Tyler, CEO, Cathay Pacific Airways
  • IATA Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani

Membership 

  • IATA membership: some 230 airlines, 125 countries.
  • Flights by IATA members represent 93% of world’s international scheduled traffic (Available Seat Kilometres) 
  • IATA members total freight – 42.4 million tonnes in 2008, of which 28.2 million tonnes were international
  • IATA members total passengers 2008 (scheduled) - 1.6 billion of which 709 million were international

History 

  • IATA was founded in Havana, Cuba, in April 1945

IATA Offices

  • IATA has 74 offices in 68 countries covering 148 nations 
  • Head Office:  Montreal, Canada
  • Executive Office: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Regional Offices in Amman, Beijing, Johannesburg, Miami, Moscow, Singapore, Washington

IATA Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit

  • Formalizes industry positions on industry and public policy issues and provides a focus for emerging industry issues
  • Attended by representatives from IATA member airlines, industry partners, international and regional associations, manufacturers and suppliers and government
  • The first AGM was held in Montreal, Canada in October 1945
  • The 2009 AGM is being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 7-9 June 2009
    • The last time that this event was hosted in Malaysia was in 1995.
    • The 66th AGM will be held in Berlin, Germany on 6-8 June 2010

IATA Financial Services

  • In 2008 IATA handled some US$350 billion
    • IATA Clearing House—US$50 billion
    • IATA Currency Clearance Service — US$30.5 billion
    • Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) — US$240 billion
    • Cargo Account Settlement Systems (CASS) — US$28 billion 
    • Other – US$1.5 billion

2009 Priorities

Safety

  • Conduct 80 ISAGO audits, improving safety while reducing redundant audits and ramp injuries and damage.
  • Launch Global Safety Information Centre by:
    • Expanding IATA’s incident data programme, to include IOSA, ISAGO and other data sources
    • Developing and distributing Runway Safety Toolkit.

Environment

  • Achieve a reduction of at least 10 million tonnes of CO2 from operations and infrastructure.
  • 15 airlines participating in industry carbon offset programme and travel agency sales captured through at least one GDS.
  • Secure the support of ICAO/GIACC for the IATA four-pillar strategy and opposition to environmental taxation.

Simplifying the Business

Fast Travel Program:

  • 10 airlines offer “bags ready-to-go” (2 shared environment locations);
  • 10 airlines offer self-boarding (1 with international passenger identity checks);
  • 10 airlines offer self-service bag recovery (2 shared environments); and
  • 75 CUSS sites offering document scanning.

BCBP

  • 60% airport passenger capability.

BIP

  • Complete diagnosis visits to 20 of the top 80 mishandling airports.

IATA e-freight

  • Expand to 23 new locations, 44 new airports and 3 more documents.

Financial

  • Achieve savings/cost avoidance of USD 1.5 billion in industry taxes, charges & fuel fees, including at least USD 1 billion in real reductions.
  • Achieve a 10% reduction in BSP and 15% reduction in CASS unit charge

Updated: December 2009