What is International Air Transport Association (IATA)?

About International Air Transport Association (IATA):

• IATA is an international trade association for the world's airlines, established in 1945 in Havana, Cuba, with 57 founding members.
• Its mission is "to represent, lead, and serve the airline industry."
• IATA advocates for the interests of airlines on the world stage in addition to creating industry standards that
  • simplify processes,
  • increase safety,
  • enhance passenger convenience,
  • reduce costs,
  • improve efficiency, and
  • help achieve sustainability goals.
• It currently represents some 330 airlines, comprising over 80% of global air traffic.
• IATA members include the world’s leading passenger and cargo airlines.
• Headquarters: Montreal, Canada.
• Functions:
  • IATA supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues, including environmental concerns.
  • The association advocates on behalf of airlines worldwide, challenging arbitrary laws and charges, holding regulators and governments accountable, and striving for responsible regulation.
  • The IATA’s goal is to help airlines reduce costs and improve efficiency by simplifying operations and boosting passenger convenience.
  • The IATA assists airlines in operating under clearly defined norms in a safe, secure, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
  • Professional assistance is offered to all industry stakeholders in the form of a diverse offering of goods and professional services.
• The IATA Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit, held in June each year, formalises industry positions on industry and public policy issues and provides a focus for emerging industry issues.

Q1: What is the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)?

ICAO is an intergovernmental specialized agency associated with the United Nations (UN). It was established in 1947 by the Convention on International Civil Aviation (1944) known as Chicago Convention. ICAO is dedicated to developing safe and efficient international air transport for peaceful purposes and ensuring a reasonable opportunity for every state to operate international airlines. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security and facilitation, efficiency, and economic development of air transport as well as to improve the environmental performance of aviation.

Source: India to host IATA's annual global airlines summit after 42 years