Aviation leaders gather in Dubai for IATA’s 80th AGM and World Air Transport Summit

Published: Monday, June 3, 2024

About 3 million people worldwide are directly employed in the aviation sector. The travel and tourism value chain supports some 320 million jobs and accounts for about 10% of all economic activity. While the air cargo industry delivers $8.3 trillion of trade annually—some 35% of total global trade.

GENEVA/DUBAI: Leaders of the global airline industry gathered in Dubai this week for the 80th Annual General Meeting of the International Air Transport Industry (IATA) which represents about 330 carriers, and for the World Air Transport Summit.

The event (2-4 June 2024) was held in the UAE for the first time and hosted by Emirates Airline. Over 1,500 participants were in attendance, including industry leaders, government officials and media.

H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy for the United Arab Emirates welcomed the delegates to Dubai with an opening keynote speech to the AGM.

Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, commented, “Dubai’s world-leading connectivity places it at the crossroads of the planet. … This is a city that has forged its place in global aviation and prospered, thanks to its visionary leaders and progressive policies that recognize air transport’s role as a key economic enabler. In line with this, last year aviation contributed 27% to Dubai’s GDP and supported $37 billion in gross value added.”

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, noted, “There are always exciting new developments in Dubai, and I hope visiting delegates will get to a chance to experience this buzzing city and the UAE’s renowned hospitality for themselves.”


World Air Transport Summit
The World Air Transport Summit (WATS) immediately followed the AGM for a comprehensive program addressing the critical issues facing aviation.

“The commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will top the agenda of the 80th IATA AGM and World Air Transport Summit. We will explore solutions to accelerate progress, particularly with the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the potential for carbon removals. We’ll also take stock of our progress on safety, financial sustainability, and other key industry topics. It’s important that we put these challenges on the table so that all stakeholders, including governments, have a clear understanding of what airlines need to connect people and economies safely, efficiently, and ever more sustainably,” said Walsh.

Key topics addressed in the WATS include:

  • A ‘Big Picture’ view of challenges facing the airline industry with changing energy markets, an increasingly complex global geopolitical situation, and shifting supply chains/trade patterns
  • The potential for AI in aviation
  • Advancing sustainability with SAF and carbon removals
  • How aviation and tourism can work better together, and;
  • The prospects for air cargo

The benefits of global connectivity is a topic that will underpin the entire program. Globally, aviation directly employs 3 million people and is a key enabling part of the travel and tourism value chain which supports some 320 million jobs and accounts for about 10% of all economic activity. Moreover, air cargo delivers $8.3 trillion of trade annually—some 35% of total trade.

For Dubai, Oxford Economics estimates that aviation contributed 27% to Dubai’s GDP and supported $37 billion in gross value added in 2023. This is projected to increase to $53 billion dollars in 2030, in line with Dubai’s growth.

Aviation also contributes to achieving 15 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).

Passenger demand growing for 36 months now
IATA said passenger demand has steadily grown for the past three years or 36 months. In April 2023, passenger traffic was up 11 percent compared to the same month in 2022 with a load factor of 82.4%.

“Passenger demand has been growing for 36 consecutive months. As we enter the peak northern summer travel season, there is every reason to feel optimistic for a strong summer with airlines offering a wide range of travel options. 97% of passengers asked in our recent survey said they were satisfied with their last flight. Every part of the travel value chain needs to be focused on maintaining that,” said the IATA Director General.