The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointed Luis Gallego, CEO of International Airlines Group (IAG), as the new chair of the IATA Board. His term, of a one-year duration, began at the conclusion of the 81st IATA Annual General Meeting in New Delhi, India, on 2nd June.
Gallego is the 83rd chair of the IATA Board, and he has experience of the expectations of the role, having served on the board since 2018. He can also call upon advice from Gallego his predecessor, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, who will continue to serve on the board.
“I am honoured to be taking up the position of Chair of the IATA Board. The airline industry faces significant challenges – accelerating environmental action, managing geopolitical shifts and supply chain issues, and dealing with concerns over infrastructure capacity and costs. At the same time, the industry has incredible strengths to call on – most of all the quality of the people that strive to make aviation a safe, secure and rewarding experience for millions of travellers every day. IATA has a vital role in harnessing these human and technical resources to deliver leadership and innovation. I look forward to playing my part in steering IATA in its long mission for a strong and successful airline industry,” said Gallego.
Luis Gallego has nearly 30 years of experience in the aviation industry. He became IAG’s chief executive in September 2020, joining from Iberia, where he was chairman and chief executive from January 2014. During his tenure at Iberia, he turned the airline around and improved its efficiency, customer service and brand. Before that, Gallego launched Iberia Express, serving as chief executive from January 2012, making the new Iberia subsidiary one of the most efficient and punctual airlines in Europe.
Gallego joined Iberia Express from Vueling, where he was chief operating officer from 2009, when the airline merged with the low-cost carrier Clickair, which he co-founded in 2006. He held various posts at Spanish regional airline Air Nostrum between 1997 and 2006.
“I look forward to working with Luis to deliver an agenda of IATA activities that are critical to the current and future success of our member airlines. Luis has a long and deep involvement with the complex issues which are top priorities for our Association – facilitating net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, achieving a smart approach to regulation, and ensuring a capacity and cost structure that can meet the growing demands for air connectivity,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. “I also want to thank Pieter Elbers for his strong support and leadership over the past year.”
IATA’s Board of Directors (as of 2 June 2025)
Chair of the Board: Luis Gallego Martín, CEO, IAG
Director General: Willie Walsh
- Michael Rousseau, president and CEO, Air Canada
- Benjamin Smith, CEO, Air France-KLM Group
- Campbell Wilson, CEO and managing director, Air India
- Shinichi Inoue, president and CEO, All Nippon Airways (ANA)
- Robert Isom, CEO, American Airlines
- Michael Steen, president and CEO, Atlas Air
- Annette Mann, CEO, Austrian Airlines (Lufthansa Group)
- Patrick Healy, chair, Cathay Group
- Pedro Heilbron, CEO, Copa Airlines
- Jasmin Bajić, president and CEO, Croatia Airlines
- Mesfin Tasew Bekele, CEO, Ethiopian Airlines
- Richard Smith, president and CEO, airline and international Fedex
- Zhu Tao, chairman, Hainan Airlines
- Pieter Elbers, CEO, Indigo
- Mitsuko Tottori, representative director, president and CEO, Japan Airlines
- Marjan Rintel president and CEO, KLM
- Walter Cho, chairman and CEO, Korean Air
- Roberto Alvo, CEO, LATAM Airlines Group
- Izham Ismail, Group CEO, Malaysia Airlines
- Munkhtamir Batbayar, president and CEO, MIAT Mongolian Airlines
- Mohamad El-Hout, chairman and director general, Middle East Airlines
- Mehmet Tevfik Nane, chairperson of the board of directors, Pegasus Airlines
- Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, group CEO, Qatar Airways
- Abdelhamid Addou, chairman and CEO, Royal Air Maroc
- Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO, RwandAir
- Anco van der Werff, president and CEO, SAS
- Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general, Saudi Arabian Airlines
- Ahmet Bolat, chairman of the board of directors and executive committee, Turkish Airlines
- Scott Kirby, CEO, United Airlines
- Enrique Javier Beltranena Mejicano, president and CEO, Volaris
