For individual airlines, developing a team of value managers supports financial sustainability. In fact, according to the Organizational Health Index, High Performing Organizations in the top quartile have a 3-fold probability of delivering returns to shareholders, compared to organizations in the bottom quartile.

For the industry, having value managers in airline finance functions is a key enabler for a more efficient delivery of industry projects. This will be achieved via their active participation in IATA Working Groups.

Read more about the HIPO Working Group

The HIPO Program includes 5 streams: Attract, Develop, Retain, Community, Benchmark.

Internship Program

IATA partners with airlines and selected universities around the world to offer internships in airline finance. Each university selects 5-10 qualified candidates per year (graduate and undergraduate). Each participating IATA member airline offers 2-4 internships per year.

Benefits for Airlines

• Raise the profile of airline finance functions
• Attract talent with best-in-class finance and management practices
• Facilitated access to participating universities

How can you participate?

• Review University profiles (pdf) and select your preferences
• Fill in the online Airline Form (first come, first served)

Benefits for Universities

• Provide opportunities for students to integrate into their academic studies relevant work experience and research pertaining to airline finance activities
• Facilitated access to participating airlines

How can you participate?

IATA is looking to cooperate with universities from around the world that fulfil the following criteria.

• Renowned study and research programs in finance or related areas
• Considerable size and number of graduate students in finance and related studies
• Ability and willingness to promote the program and pre-select 5-10 qualified candidates per year

If your institution meets this criteria and is interested in participating, please contact us.

Benefits for Students

• Gain valuable work experience at international airlines
• Learn how your profile can fit the needs of airlines
• Career development opportunities

How can you participate?

The program is currently open only to students from participating universities. Ask your university to join the program!

Vision

IATA's global education and talent management programs for airline finance are internationally recognized, with the same level of prestige as the most highly rated business schools, leading to a certification for airline finance skills, new opportunities and cost efficiencies for airlines in their training programs.

Learn more and go on a journey to the Future of Airline Finance.

Where we are today

Each airline has its own development and training programs. Some themes are obviously common, however synergies are not exploited to their full potential.

There is no formal certification for airline finance qualifications at an international level. 

IATA Finance Academy

Thanks to technology, finance will engage in more value-adding activities and become a strategic business partner.

The IATA Finance Academy is a new specialized training program aiming at developing airline finance talent. Through a curriculum of managerial and technical courses it equips finance professionals to support airlines in their journey towards value management and becoming a high performing finance organization.

Vision

Talent is inspired to stay in the airline industry. A strong and motivated community of talented aviation finance specialists delivering industry innovation with speed.

Where we are today

Finance talent is leaving the airline industry for multiple reasons including lack of career progression, inadequate training and development opportunities and lower employer or industry attractiveness. This could lead to significant efforts and cost to identify new talent, integrate newcomers into the organization and train them in airline industry specific standards like Revenue Accounting or Engineering-related financial accounting. In addition this could impact airlines or IATA in delivering strategic projects or initiatives due to lack of resources.

Vision

A community of airline finance professionals who foster dialogue, exchange ideas and collaborate on industry topics and projects to deliver innovation with speed.

Where we are today

There is currently no physical or virtual community for the sharing of best practices, experience and know-how to contribute to the accelerated delivery of industry projects in an agile way.

Vision

An IATA industry benchmark for High Performing Airline Finance, based on comparison with other industries, enabling those IATA members who participate in the benchmark process to achieve improvement.

Where we are today

The airline finance functions aim to reach organizational excellence and become value managers. However, today's criteria for airline organizational excellence are not universally defined, which makes it difficult for airlines to identify on which areas they should focus. Today, industry finance functions are typically allocating more time to transaction processing (currently at around 65%) rather than to decision support (currently at around 12%).