Th e International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that its director general and CEO, Tony Tyler, will retire in June 2016 after serving fi ve years in the position. “Tony Tyler is a very eff ective leader of IATA, who is achieving much in his role as director general and CEO,” said Andrés Conesa, CEO of Aeroméxico and chairman of the IATA Board of Governors since June this year.

“I regret that he will be leaving the Association, but respect his decision to retire next year after a long and successful career in aviation. Th e search will now start for a successor to be appointed at the next IATA Annual General Meeting in Dublin in June 2016. In the meantime the Board will continue to guide and support Tony and his team in their mission to deliver a safe, effi cient and sustainable airline industry,” he added.

Commenting on his decision, Tyler said: “After fi ve years as director general and CEO of IATA, I believe it will be time for me to retire and leave the organisation.

It is a great privilege and responsibility to lead IATA and I am proud of what the IATA team is achieving during my term of offi ce. I greatly appreciate the support I receive from the Board of Governors and the membership at large, and from my colleagues. I remain fully committed to leading IATA until my successor is appointed in June next year.”

Before joining IATA in 2011, Tyler was chief executive of Cathay Pacifi c Airways in Hong Kong, in which capacity he also served on the IATA Board of Governors including as its chairman from June 2009 to June 2010.

Industry sources speaking to Payload Asia have noted that the IATA stipulation that the DG/CEO role can only be fi lled by a CEO-level executive – current or past – from the airline industry severely restricts the pool of potential candidates.

Among the potential candidates tipped to be forerunners for the top position at IATA, according to the source, include the frequently controversial Michael O’Leary, currently CEO of Dublin-based low cost carrier Ryanair.