Mehmet Nane, vice-chair of the board, managing director, of Pegasus Airlines, has assumed his duties as chair of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) board of governors, succeeding Robin Hayes at the 78th General Assembly held in Doha. Mehmet T. Nane, the first Turkish chairman of IATA, which represents 292 airlines from 120 countries comprising 83% of global air traffic, will serve until June 2023.

Commenting on the topic, Nane said: “I’m honoured to take on this position at a time when the industry is emerging from our worst downturn, and to be the first Turkish Chair of IATA. A huge part of this honour is that it represents how far Turkish civil aviation has come.” Nane continued: “The aviation industry has been going through one of the toughest tests in its history over the last few years and is being directly affected by different political and economic factors as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that our already demanding industry now has even more challenges. Despite all the challenges, every one of the stakeholders in our industry are working with maximum effort.”

“We all share great responsibilities for the sustainable growth of the aviation sector”

Commenting on the current state of the aviation industry, Mehmet Nane said: “As the aviation industry continues its post-pandemic recovery efforts, it is also taking solid and decisive steps in areas such as gender equality and sustainability. We all share great responsibilities for the sustainable growth of the aviation sector, which supports not only tourism but also many other sectors. As IATA, in addition to maintaining momentum toward re-opening the world to travel and commerce we have a very full agenda over the next 12 months including supporting CORSIA at the upcoming ICAO Assembly, refining the pathway to Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050, and broadening participation in the 25by2025 gender diversity initiative, an initiative for IATA member airlines to improve female representation in the industry by 25% or up to a minimum of 25% by 2025. Together with all our members, we will work hard to realise our main objectives and propel our industry forward.” 

Stating that the 78^th IATA General Assembly has decided to hold the 79^th IATA General Assembly and World Air Transport Summit in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 4-6 June 2023, Nane said: “We will be delighted to welcome global aviation professionals in our beautiful country, hosted by Pegasus Airlines.”