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Global airline association summit a ’vote of confidence’ in air travel
October 3rd 2021
The International Air Transport Association’s annual general meeting in Boston is “a powerful vote of confidence in safety of international air travel”, IATA director-general, Willie Walsh, said this week. Read More » The meeting in Boston is its first in-person AGM since 2019 and the push to re-open travel markets will be at the top of the agenda. Walsh said a slowdown in domestic traffic recovery in August showed how exposed air travel was to the cycles of COVID-19. “For governments that should send two messages,” Walsh said. “The first is this is not the time to step away from continuing support of the industry, both financially and regulatory. The second is the need to apply a risk-based approach to managing borders -as passengers already are doing in making their travel decisions.” The IATA boss said the AGM provided a powerful vote of confidence in the safety of international air travel and the heath protocols that have now been in place for up to 18 months. “I’ve said it before: virtual meetings are no substitute for the value delivered through the opportunity to meet face-to-face,’’ he said. “The AGM will provide a powerful reminder of this fact.”
