IATA

Overview

The International Air Transport Association is the global trade association for the airline industry, founded in Havana, Cuba on 19 April 1945 by 57 airlines from 31 countries as the successor to the pre-war International Air Traffic Association. IATA today represents more than 370 member airlines from over 120 countries, accounting for roughly 85% of total global air traffic, and runs core industry infrastructure including the mandatory IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) safety-certification program and the Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP), the financial clearing system that settles sales between airlines and travel agents in over 190 markets. Its legal headquarters is in Montreal, with executive offices also maintained in Geneva, Switzerland. In July 2026 IATA's Board of Governors named Saadia Zahidi, formerly Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, as the association's ninth Director General and its first woman in the role, succeeding long-serving DG Willie Walsh effective 1 November 2026.

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