Context: India will host the world’s most premier aviation event, the annual general meeting (AGM) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), next year, after a gap of 42 years.

Key highlights

• IndiGo will host the 81st annual general meeting of the International Airport Transport Association (IATA) in Delhi in June 2025.

• The chiefs and various other top executives of almost all global airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and other aviation sector stakeholders gather once a year at the IATA’s AGM to discuss.

• The meeting will be held in the country after a gap of 42 years.

• The decision to host the 81st IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in India was made at the ongoing AGM here.

• India has hosted the AGM twice in the past in Delhi — in 1958 and 1983.

• This will be the third time the IATA AGM — considered one of the most significant events in the aviation industry’s calendar —has convened in Delhi.

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.

• Its goal is to help airlines reduce costs and improve efficiency by simplifying operations and boosting passenger convenience.

• It 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.