IATA appoints Mohamed Tawfiq Nani as Chairman of the Board of Governors

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the appointment of Mohamed Tawfiq Nani, Vice Chairman and General Manager of Pegasus Airlines, as Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors for one year, with effect from June 21, which coincides with the conclusion of the 78th Annual General Assembly of IATA in Doha. Mohamed Tawfiq Nani has been a member of IATA Board of Governors since 2019, and is the 80th Chairman of the Board after CEO of JetBlue Robin Hayes, who is still a standing member of the Board. Commenting on this occasion, Mohamed Tawfiq Nani underscored that it was great honor for him to have been chosen to take up this position at a time when the sector is heading towards recovery from recent challenges. He said that over the next 12 months, he will have a busy schedule, along with more efforts to maintain the momentum that the sector is witnessing today, in terms of reopening state borders to travel and trade, he will also focus during this period on reaching an agreement during the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that encourages governments to adopt an ambitious long-term goal to reduce the carbon footprint for the aviation sector and providing support in the context of its orientation towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, in addition to expanding the scope of participation in the 25 initiative by 2025 , which intends to boost gender diversity in the sector. Director General of IATA William M. Walsh said that all members of the Board extend their sincere thanks and appreciation to Robin Hayes, who took on a difficult responsibility in November 2020 during a period when the international aviation sector came to a near complete standstill, and who agreed to extend his tenure in this position. During his presidency of the board, the aviation sector made a historic decision to move towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, as Hayes worked closely with governments and international organizations to strengthen critical safety measures dedicated to reducing the risk of disease transmission by air. He added that he is looking forward to working with Mohamed Tawfiq Nani as strenuous efforts are being made to restore global travel and address key aviation industry priorities in the areas of sustainability, diversity, regulation and infrastructure cost management. He pointed out that low-cost airlines will be a valuable addition to the Council, especially in light of the work to expand the membership base of IATA. In addition, IATA also announced that Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO of RwandAir, will take over the position of Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors starting from June 2023, succeeding Muhammad Nani after the expiry of his term of office, and she will be the first woman to occupy this position. The 78th General Assembly of the International Air Transport Association also approved the holding of the 79th Annual General Meeting of the Association and the World Air Transport Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, from 4 to 6 June 2023.