The International Air Transport Association (IATA) today (5 June) announced that Qatar Airways Group chief executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, has assumed his duties as chairman of the IATA Board of Governors (BoG) for a one-year term effective from today's conclusion of the 74th IATA Annual General Meeting in Sydney, Australia.
Al Baker is the 77th chair of the IATA BoG and the first CEO from Qatar Airways to hold the position. He has served on the BoG since 2012. He succeeds Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines.
Commenting on his appointment, Al Baker said: 'I am delighted to be here in Sydney and honoured to be leading the IATA Board of Governors as chairman for the year ahead. To be nominated to such a prestigious leadership position in the industry is a great honour, made all the more pertinent in the difficult circumstances in which Qatar Airways currently operates.
'I look forward to continuing my work in the coming year for our great aviation industry, connecting safely the peoples of the world, a sector which will only continue to grow in the years ahead, and one in which I am most proud to work and represent one of the world leading airlines.'
Al-Baker was named Qatar Airways’ Group chief executive in 1997. In this position, Al Baker has spearheaded the growth of Qatar Airways from a small regional carrier into a major global. He was president of the 70th AGM which was held in Doha in 2014.
