Aviation leaders to assemble in Seoul for IATA's 75th annual meet

More than 1,000 senior officials of 290 airlines will gather to attend the 75th annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) taking place here for the first time from June 1 to 3.

They will be accompanied by representatives of airline suppliers, governments, strategic partners and international organisations.

"The airlines will be meeting in challenging times. 2019 is expected to be the 10th consecutive year of airline profits, but rising costs, trade wars and other uncertainties are likely to have an impact on the bottom line," said IATA's Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac.

"The prolonged grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft is taking its toll. And aviation, like all industries, is under intensified scrutiny for its impact on climate change. The agenda will be full," he said in a statement.

The AGM agenda will feature keynote addresses by Kim Hyun-mee, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea and Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport. The World Air Transport Summit (WATS) opens immediately following the AGM under the theme 'The Vision for the Future.'

A highlight of the WATS is the CEO Insight panel featuring Goh Choon Phong (Singapore Airlines), Robin Hayes (JetBlue), Christine Ourmieres-Widener (Flybe) and Carsten Spohr (Lufthansa Group). The panel will be moderated by CNN's Richard Quest.

A key challenge will be preparing the air transport industry for the future amid the expected doubling of demand for connectivity over the next two decades. In this regard, airline digital transformation, infrastructure capacity, sustainability and building the workforce of the future will feature prominently in the agenda.

The inaugural IATA Diversity and Inclusion Awards will also be presented during the event. The awards recognise and encourage excellence in promoting gender diversity and inclusivity in the aviation industry.

IATA represents some 290 airlines comprising 82 per cent of the global air traffic.

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