Nearly 1,000 people are expected to attend the 70th International Air Transport Association Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit hosted by Qatar Airways in Doha this week.

Taking place from 1st-3rd June, 2014, the event will take place under the patronage of the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

“Qatar will be at the epicenter of the airline industry this week as aviation leaders from around the world gather in Doha to discuss the critical issues of the moment, including safety, security and the environment, among others,” said Qatar Airways chief executive, Akbar Al Baker.

“We are delighted to be hosting the AGM here in Doha as it will allow us to showcase our new state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport, the great strides that have been taken in developing our infrastructure and our renowned Qatari hospitality.”

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker and Tony Tyler, International Air Transport Association director general, are joined by the IATA Board of Governors at the 70th IATA AGM in Doha

IATA, which is the global association of the world’s airlines, draws together the chief executive and senior management of its 240 member airlines which carry 84 per cent of global traffic.

They will be joined in Qatar by leaders from across the spectrum of industry stakeholders including governments, partners in the value chain and other international organisations.

The AGM will include a number of key discussions, including a chief executive forum composed of Al Baker, David Barger, chief executive, JetBlue Airways, Ivan Chu, chief executive, Cathay Pacific Airways, Andres Conesa Labastida, chief executive, Aeromexico, and Willie Walsh, chief executive, International Airlines Group, with CNN international business correspondent, Richard Quest as moderator.