International Air Transport Association facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
International Air Transport Association

Abbreviation	IATA
Formation	19 April 1945; 80 years ago (1945-04-19) in Havana, Cuba
Type	International trade association
Headquarters	800 Square Victoria Montreal, Quebec Canada
Membership	317 airlines (2023) from over 120 countries and regions
DG	Willie Walsh

The International Air Transport Association (IATA /aɪˈɑːtə/) is a group of the world's airlines. It was started in 1945. IATA helps airlines work together and sets rules for how they operate.

As of 2023, IATA represents 317 airlines from over 120 countries. These airlines carry about 82% of all air travelers. IATA helps airlines with their daily work. It also creates rules and standards for the airline industry. Its main office is in Montreal, Canada. It also has executive offices in Geneva, Switzerland.

A Look at IATA's History

IATA was created in April 1945 in Havana, Cuba. It took over from an older group called the International Air Traffic Association, which began in 1919. When IATA started, it had 57 airlines from 31 countries.

In its early years, IATA focused on technical rules for flying. It helped the new International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) create important international flight rules. These rules are still used today.

Governments did not agree on how to control airline prices. So, IATA was formed to help airlines set prices for international flights. This meant airlines worked together to decide ticket costs.

In the late 1940s, IATA began holding meetings to set prices for international air travel. The goal was to set fair prices. These prices would cover airline costs and allow them to make a reasonable profit.

In 1947, many airlines were owned by governments and losing money. IATA acted like a group that controlled prices. Governments allowed IATA to set ticket prices to avoid too much competition. The first big meeting in 1947 agreed on about 400 rules. Many of these rules were about setting standard prices for international flights.

Some people thought IATA's price-setting was not fair. They believed it stopped airlines from competing on price. This meant airlines tried to attract customers by offering better service instead.

In the 1950s, IATA even set rules about what food airlines could serve. For example, in 1958, IATA said airlines could not serve "fancy" sandwiches to economy passengers. This limited how airlines could compete.

IATA also set limits on how much money travel agents could earn. This rule lasted from 1956 to 1975. Some experts said this rule might have made travel agents less likely to offer better service.

By the late 1970s, many airlines did not like IATA's price-setting rules. Some big airlines, like Singapore Airlines and Pan-American Airlines, even left IATA.

For many years, IATA was allowed to set prices without facing legal challenges in some countries. But in 2006, the United States Department of Justice stopped allowing IATA to set prices in this way.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many flights to stop. Airlines had to reduce how many seats they sold to keep people apart. This meant they often left middle seats empty. This made flights more expensive to operate. IATA said that ticket prices might need to go up a lot for airlines to make money. However, IATA also said that flying was safe because of how air flows in planes. By July 2020, many North American airlines planned to start selling all seats again.

Leaders of IATA

• Willie Walsh (2021-present)
• Alexandre de Juniac (2016–2021)
• Tony Tyler (2011–2016)
• Giovanni Bisignani (2002–2011)
• Pierre Jean Jeanniot (1993–2002)
• Günter Eser (1985–1992)
• Knut Hammarskjöld (1966–1984)
• Sir William Hildred (1946–1966)

What IATA Focuses On

Keeping Flights Safe

IATA says that safety is the most important thing. They have a special program called the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). Many countries require airlines to pass this audit.

In 2017, flying was safer than ever before. There was only one major accident for every 7.36 million flights. IATA uses a lot of flight data to keep making flying safer. After Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared in 2014, IATA started looking into ways to track planes in real-time.

Making Travel Easier

In 2004, IATA started a project called "Simplifying the Business." This project brought us things like electronic tickets and bar-coded boarding passes. These make travel much easier.

Another new program is called New Distribution Capability (NDC). This program helps travel agents offer the same flight choices as airline websites. It uses modern computer language to share information.

Protecting the Environment

IATA members and other groups in the airline industry have set goals to protect the environment:

• Make planes use 1.5% less fuel each year from 2009 to 2020.
• Stop increasing carbon emissions from aviation starting in 2020. This means flights will not add more carbon to the air than they did in 2020.
• Cut aviation carbon emissions by 50% by 2050, compared to 2005 levels.

In 2013, IATA members agreed to a plan to reach carbon-neutral growth by 2020. Some environmental groups felt this plan relied too much on carbon offsets instead of directly reducing emissions.

Other Services

IATA also offers advice and training for airlines in many different areas.

Setting Standards and Rules

IATA creates many important rules and standards. One of the most important is the IATA DGR. This guide tells airlines how to safely transport dangerous goods (HAZMAT) by air.

Images for kids

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  IATA headquarters in Montreal (Tour de la Bourse)

See also

In Spanish: Asociación Internacional de Transporte Aéreo para niños