Qatar Airways’ Al Baker New IATA Chairman from 2018

Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker, has been elected chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and will assume his new role as of June 2018.

The rotating one-year term will commence at the end of IATA’s 2018 annual general meeting in Sydney and will continue until the end of the 2019 meeting. Al Baker will succeed current IATA chairman, Goh Choon Phong, chief executive officer of Singapore Airlines.

“I am honored to have been chosen by my fellow board members to head this important body, at a time when the industry faces numerous challenges on a multitude of levels,” Al Baker said in an announcement.  “I am grateful for the opportunity to represent an industry that plays such a vital role in the global economy,” he added.

Akbar Al Baker is one of the most recognizable figures in international aviation. His vision and commitment enabled the development of Qatar Airways from a small regional carrier into a major global airline in a span of just 20 years.

IATA represents some 275 airlines comprising 83 percent of global air traffic.