IATA welcomes global aviation sector to Istanbul

Istanbul is the location of the annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

This year, Pegasus Airlines is the event’s host. It invites top figures in the world of aviation and coincides with the World Air Transport Summit.

The event, which takes place from June 4-6, draws the most senior executives from among the more than 300 IATA member airlines, as well as senior government officials, business associates, suppliers of equipment, and the media.

“Istanbul will become the aviation capital of the world. Airlines will meet to review the industry’s recovery from Covid-19, to plan the way forward to a more sustainable future, to discuss the opportunities for technology to drive efficiencies from modern retailing to improved facilitation, and to understand the common regulatory challenges they face. Aviation is important. Connecting the world even as geopolitical divides deepen is a vital mission that requires profitable, safe, efficient and sustainable airlines. The outcomes of this AGM must set the direction for even more effective global connectivity,” said Willie Walsh, IATA director general.

Chairperson of the board of directors, Pegasus Airlines, and chair of the IATA board of governors Mehmet Nane said: “We are enormously proud to be hosting our industry partners in the great city of Istanbul and look forward to welcoming everyone here for the IATA AGM.

“Aviation came together to assist the people of Türkiye to rebuild after the tragic earthquake in February. Now aviation comes together to debate vital issues concerning our pathway to net-zero CO2 in 2050, the diversity of our industry, our operational recovery from the depths of Covid-19 and many other topics.”

Istanbul will host the AGM for the second time; the first time was in 2008.

Turkey is quickly recovering from the pandemic shutdown.

Travel to and from Turkey surged by almost 60% in 2022, making it the world’s seventh-largest international passenger market.

“Since we were last in Istanbul, Türkiye has become an incredible global aviation powerhouse. Its carriers are leading the way in regional and international connectivity, and the magnificent new airport puts some other nations’ lack of airport investment to shame. There’s no doubt that Türkiye’s importance to global aviation will continue to grow significantly,” said Walsh.

IATA statistics also support the ongoing high demand for passenger traffic in April.

Revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs, or total traffic, increased by 45.8% from April 2022 to April 2023.

Currently, traffic is 90.5% of pre-Covid levels worldwide.

Only 1.8 percentage points separated the industry load factor from its pre-pandemic level of 81.3%.

Domestic traffic for April increased by 42.6% compared to the same month last year and has since fully recovered, registering a gain of 2.9% over April 2019 figures.

International traffic climbed 48 per cent versus April 2022 with all markets recording healthy growth, with carriers in the Asia-Pacific region continuing to lead the recovery.

International RPKs reached 83.6 per cent of April 2019 levels.

“April continued the strong traffic trend we saw in the 2023 first quarter. The easing of inflation and rising consumer confidence in most OECD countries combined with declining jet fuel prices, suggests sustained strong air travel demand and moderating cost pressures,” said Walsh.