It is great to be here in person.
When I last addressed this Club, as CEO of IAG in December 2015, such a remark would have been completely unremarkable.
The last 18 months, however, have made us realize just how important—how precious—the ability to meet face-to-face is. And in doing so, we also have a renewed understanding of the role of aviation in our world. This industry makes face-to-face possible. And, as efficient as technology like Zoom or Teams may be, it is no match for what we are doing now—often facilitated by aviation.
That theme was repeated throughout the IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit which took place last week, in person, in Boston.
Today, I’d like to report on the major achievements of the AGM as well as address what needs to be done in the UK to get travel going again. But first, a word about the current state of the global air transport industry.
Industry Outlook
It is no secret that COVID-19 has devastated the aviation…