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IATA AGM 2026: LATAM’s Rise Reflects a Region Coming of Age

IATA AGM 2026: LATAM’s Rise Reflects a Region Coming of Age

When the airline industry’s leaders last gathered in Rio de Janeiro for an IATA Annual General Meeting in 1999, Latin American aviation occupied a very different place in the global system. At the time, the region accounted for just 4% of global air traffic and carried around 68 million passengers annually. Its airlines were largely domestic champions, operating fragmented networks with limited international reach. LAN and TAM, the two carriers that would eventually merge to create LATAM Airlines Group, operated separately, carrying a combined 12 million passengers with fleets totalling just over 100 aircraft.

IATA Launches Supporting Alliance for CORSIA EEU Supply

IATA Launches Supporting Alliance for CORSIA EEU Supply

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) launched the Supporting Alliance for CORSIA EEU Supply, regrouping stakeholders across the CORSIA ecosystem in efforts to boost the availability of 225-250 million CORSIA Eligible Emissions Units (EEUs) by spring 2027.

SAF Production Volumes Still Disappointing

SAF Production Volumes Still Disappointing

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released estimates showing that global Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production is expected to reach around 2.4 million tonnes in 2026, representing just 0.8% of aviation fuel use, at a cost to airlines of $4.3 billion.

IATA AGM 2026:  Asia-Pacific’s Aviation Boom Faces a Trillion-Dollar Test

IATA AGM 2026: Asia-Pacific’s Aviation Boom Faces a Trillion-Dollar Test

For decades, aviation executives have spoken about the “Asian Century.” At this year’s IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, the numbers suggest that century has arrived. Over the next two decades, Asia-Pacific is expected to add 2.4 billion passengers, growing from 1.7 billion travellers in 2024 to 4.1 billion by 2044. That represents 41% of all global passenger growth and a compound annual growth rate of 3.8%.

IATA AGM 2026: Why China’s Aviation Story Is Becoming One of the Most Important in the World

IATA AGM 2026: Why China’s Aviation Story Is Becoming One of the Most Important in the World

For years, the aviation industry’s centre of gravity has been slowly moving east. At this year’s IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, that shift felt less like a prediction and more like a reality. While much of the discussion around Europe focused on regulation, taxation and competitiveness, the conversation around North Asia centred on growth, digital transformation and the emergence of China as a force that is increasingly shaping the future direction of global aviation. According to IATA’s Regional Vice President for North Asia, Xie Xingquan, the region’s story is no longer simply about recovery. It is about scale, influence and transformation.

IATA AGM 2026: Europe’s Aviation Industry Faces a Summer of Contradictions

IATA AGM 2026: Europe’s Aviation Industry Faces a Summer of Contradictions

The mood around European aviation at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro is one of cautious optimism tempered by growing frustration. Airlines are preparing for another busy summer. Passenger demand remains strong. Aircraft are full. Airports are crowded. Yet beneath the surface, many of the industry’s biggest challenges are becoming more acute rather than disappearing. Speaking at the AGM, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Europe, Rafael Schvartzman, painted a picture of an industry squeezed from multiple directions. Geopolitical instability, rising fuel prices, border delays, taxation, sustainability costs and airport charges are all converging at a time when Europe is attempting to maintain its competitiveness in an increasingly connected global marketplace.

IATA Expands Cargo Services in Brazil, Mexico, and Paraguay

IATA Expands Cargo Services in Brazil, Mexico, and Paraguay

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is expanding the presence of its cargo offerings in Latin America, including the Cargo Accounts Settlement Systems (CASS). Cargo tonne kilometers for carriers based in the region grew an average 3.3% year-on-year in the 10 years to April 2026, resulting in a cumulative growth of 38.8% over the decade. This underpins the following developments:

The Origins of the Airline Alliance: How Three Rival Networks Redefined Global Aviation

The Origins of the Airline Alliance: How Three Rival Networks Redefined Global Aviation

Most airline passengers interact with an alliance before they realise one exists. The lounge access waiting at the other end of a long-haul flight. The frequent-flyer miles earned on a carrier they have never flown before. The ability to check baggage in London and collect it in Sydney despite travelling on multiple airlines with different owners, different liveries and different national identities. Today these experiences feel routine. In the late 1990s they represented one of the most ambitious experiments the aviation industry had ever attempted.

Aviation Leaders Gather in Rio de Janeiro for IATA’s 82nd AGM

Aviation Leaders Gather in Rio de Janeiro for IATA’s 82nd AGM

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that leaders of the global aviation industry are gathering in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS) on 6-8 June 2026. The last AGM to be held in South America was in 1999, also in Rio de Janeiro. This marked the formal introduction of the World Air Transport Summit format, recognizing the IATA AGM as the leading industry platform for high-level debate on critical issues surrounding aviation.

Raven launches the Customer Growth Index at the IATA AGM

Raven launches the Customer Growth Index at the IATA AGM

Raven, the aviation growth specialists, today launched the Customer Growth Index (CGI) at the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro: a single, comparable rating of the digital experience that wins or loses airline bookings. The CGI scores carriers on four measures of airlines’ digital estates - speed, accessibility, booking flow and AI findability - and ranks each one against a bespoke competitive set matched by both business model and geography. In practice, this means a low-cost carrier is judged against comparable low-cost carriers in the same region rather than against a long-haul flag carrier or an operator in another market.

Icelandair Selects Successful Candidate for Unconventional Photographer Role

Icelandair Selects Successful Candidate for Unconventional Photographer Role

Icelandair, Iceland's national carrier, is proud to announce the selected candidate in its viral quest to find the world's worst photographer, ready to become the unexpected name behind a new global ad campaign. Icelandair launched this unconventional recruitment drive after discovering that many people believe images of Iceland look "too good to be true." By championing imperfect photography – whether blurry, poorly composed, or poorly lit – Icelandair aims to prove that Iceland's natural beauty is so breathtaking it transcends technical photographic prowess. No filters. No AI trickery. Just raw, authentic moments that remind us why Iceland actually deserves all the hype.