Message by Tony Tyler, Director General & CEO

Dear Colleagues,

With your strong support, the 68th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport summit was a great success, with record attendance. The unanimous approval of the proposed governance changes displayed the strength and unity of our association. Their adoption will help IATA to adapt to the dynamic environment in which our members operate by facilitating greater transparency and engagement in our processes and activities.

I was pleased to report to the AGM progress in key areas that will support the needs of our members:

• The Direct Data Service (DDS) was launched. This next evolution of PaxIS is powered by directly contributed airline sales data and is creating a more competitive market for business intelligence products.
• The foundation standard for the New Distribution Capability (NDC) will unleash innovation and new entrants that will revolutionize airline relationships with their customers.
• IATA worked closely with ICAO to develop the Africa Strategic Improvement Action Plan which will be presented to the African Ministerial Meeting on Aviation Safety on 19 July.

Lastly the AGM was a key platform from which to remind governments of aviation’s important contribution to the global economy. Aviation is an economic catalyst that in itself supports some 57 million jobs and $2.2 trillion in economic activity. To play this role even more effectively, aviation needs a tax regime that does not kill growth, regulation that enables growth and the infrastructure capacity to accommodate growth.

We must not be shy in reminding governments that by achieving these fundamentals we can move airlines towards more sustainable profits, allowing them to deliver the economic growth that is so critical at this time.