IATA Invites Nominations for 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Awards

2022 D&I Awards winners (L-R) : Kanchana Gamage, Founder and Director of the Aviatrix Project; Güliz Öztürk, CEO of Pegasus Airlines; and Alina Aronberga, Senior VP Human Resources, airBaltic. Photo source: IATA.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently announced the opening of the nomination procedure for its 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Awards.

In its fourth year, the annual awards program recognizes outstanding achievement in three categories: the Inspirational Role Model Award, the High Flyer Award and the Diversity & Inclusion Team Award.

Nominations are open to individuals and organizations from across the aviation value chain and will be accepted until 23:59 CET on April 19.

Photo source: IATA.

The awards aim to celebrate those who have made significant contributions to promoting diversity and inclusion within the aviation industry, and to inspire others to take action in this area.

Each of the award winners will receive US $25,000, payable to the awardee or their nominated charity for diversity and inclusion activities, sponsored by Qatar Airways.

Travelers care about gender diversity

Gender diversity is a critical issue for the aviation industry. According to the IATA Passenger Survey conducted in November 2022, 64 percent of travelers prefer to fly with airlines that are leaders in gender diversity.

The importance of gender diversity ranks even higher for younger age groups, with 84 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds expressing a preference for airlines with a strong commitment to gender diversity.

IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh. Photo source: IATA.

“Diversity and inclusion are top priorities across the aviation industry—particularly as the industry competes for the next generation of talent to deliver the benefits of global connectivity,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, underlining that the association’s awards can “help accelerate progress by recognizing the leaders who are making a difference”.

The awards will be evaluated by an independent judging panel, chaired by Karen Walker, Editor-in-Chief, Air Transport World, and consisting of the 2022 Awards recipients: Güliz Öztürk, CEO of Pegasus Airlines; Kanchana Gamage, Founder and Director of the Aviatrix Project; and Alina Aronberga, Senior VP Human Resources, airBaltic.

The winners of the 2023 IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards will be announced at IATA’s 79th Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit, scheduled to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, in June.

Details for the submission of nominations are available on the IATA website.