Remarks of Tony Tyler at the World Financial Symposium, Barcelona
29.08.2023 - 08:56
/ traveldailynews.com
/ Theodore Koumelis
Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO, spoke at the IATA World Financial Symposium in Barcelona, where he noted that aviation delivers enormous value to the global economy, contributing some $2.4 trillion to GDP, carrying over a third of world trade by value and supporting some 58 million jobs including aviation-related tourism. Historically, however, aviation has not had an equivalent level of success creating value for its equity investors. Tyler highlighted four areas where industry stakeholders have opportunities to set a path toward long-term financial sustainability: Smarter Regulation; Rebalancing the Value Chain; Innovation; and Efficient Processes.
Ladies and gentlemen: good morning. It’s a pleasure to be with you in this historic center of culture, free-thinking, commerce and manufacturing. I would like to add my thanks to our sponsors for their strong support, which makes events such as these possible.
2015 is a special year for the airline industry. Seventy years ago, the leaders of 57 airlines came together in Havana, Cuba, to form IATA. The goals of the Association were clear. IATA was to promote safe, efficient, and economical air transport. In doing so, it would create great value-benefitting the peoples of the world and fostering commerce.
The tag line for our 70th anniversary celebration is “Flying better. Together.” That reminds us of the fact that IATA was created to be a forum for industry collaboration and partnership, undertaking on a collective basis those activities that would be hugely expensive and inefficient for airlines to do individually. We would also be a vehicle to support the development of the standards and best practices necessary for the safe and efficient operation of the global air transport network.
Aviation today is very different compared to when IATA was formed in April 1945. This year airlines will carry 3.5 billion passengers-or around 9.6 million each day – which is more than were carried in the entire year of 1945. Over a third of global trade by value is transported through the skies; and aviation contributes some $2.4 trillion to global GDP. And the industry has evolved into a job creation machine, supporting some 58 million jobs around the world when we include the benefits of aviation-related tourism.
The vision to create value is being achieved. The connectivity provided by aviation enables globalized supply chains for agriculture and manufacturing. Thanks to aviation, you rarely are more than a 24-hour journey away from another population center on the globe. Additionally, we are a lifeline when disaster strikes. The earthquake in Nepal highlighted aviation’s vital role in helping to transport aid and rescue workers, as well as medical