The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Andres Conesa, CEO of Aeromexico, has assumed his duties as chairman of the IATA Board of Governors for a one-year term, effective immediately. He is the first Mexican to hold this position.
Conesa succeeds Calin Rovinescu, CEO of Air Canada, whose one-year term expired at the conclusion of the Association’s 71st Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Miami, Florida. Rovinescu will continue to serve on the Board of Governors and the Chair Committee.
Conesa has led Aeromexico, Mexico’s largest airline, since 2005 after a career spanning several key, finance-related posts in the Mexican public administration. He has served as a member of the IATA Board of Governors since 2008.
Conesa said: “I look forward to taking up the challenges of leading the IATA Board of Governors in the 70th year of this invaluable association. It will be a challenging task in the run-up to the important decisions on climate change, which will be taken by governments at the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2016. IATA plays a vital role in the aviation industry managing global settlement systems, spearheading global advocacy efforts, and constantly evolving the global standards on which aviation relies. I am eager to work closely with director general and CEO Tony Tyler and the entire IATA team to promote the better understanding of aviation among our key stakeholders and to help drive forward important initiatives that will make it ever safer, more efficient, and sustainably profitable.
Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and CEO, said: “I want to extend a hearty thanks to Calin for his strong support and leadership. It was a year of many challenges. In particular, he provided insightful guidance as we grappled with diverse challenges, including aircraft tracking, overflight of conflict zones, Ebola, and the continuing issue of blocked funds in Venezuela. And, on his watch, we received approval from the US Department of Transportation for the New Distribution Capability (NDC), which will enable a major modernization of the shopping experience for air travel products.
“I have every confidence that Andres will continue the IATA tradition of strong leadership in the important position of Chairman of the Board of Governors. We will have a busy year ahead as NDC transitions from pilots to the deployment phase, while we continue to work with ICAO on information sharing on conflict zones and the aircraft tracking implementation initiative. His international perspective will be key as we put detail to the industry position on market-based-measures for the environment. And, as ever, we can be sure that there will be some surprises as well,” said Tyler.
IATA also announced that Willie Walsh, CEO of International Airlines Group, will serve as chairman of the Board of Governors from June 2016, following Conesa’s term.
The AGM concluded with an announcement that Aer Lingus will host the 72nd IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Dublin, 1-3 June 2016.
Stephen Kavanagh, CEO of Aer Lingus, commented: “We are pleased to be bringing aviation leaders from around the world to Dublin. Air transportation plays a vital role in Irish social and economic life and the Irish have a proud history of contribution to the development of our global industry. We look forward to welcoming you to our capital city and providing you with the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality for which Dublin is renowned. Delegates will find a warm welcome, a vibrant city, and a great venue for their AGM.”
