The CEO of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker began his term as the 77th Chair of IATA’s Board of Governors (BoG). Al Baker was elected  back in August 2017 and is to chair the organization until June 2019, when he’ll be replaced by Lufthansa’s (LHAB) (LHA) Spohr.

Al Baker officially accepted the duties and began his term during  the 74th IATA Annual General Meeting in Sydney, Australia, on June 5, 2018.

“At IATA I represent the entire airline community. It will be my duty to serve their interests and make sure that we give absolute service not only to the passengers but also serving the governments  in order for them to improve the aviation atmosphere more better than it is today”, - the new IATA BoG Chairman said.

“I look forward to continuing my work in the coming year for our great aviation industry, connecting safely the peoples of the world, a sector which will only continue to grow in the years ahead, and one in which I am most proud to work and represent one of the world leading airlines,” - Akbar Al Baker declared.

Akbar Al Baker has been Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer since 1997 and IATA’s BoG member since 2012. He is the first CEO from Qatar Airways to head the IATA’s BoG

Following Al Baker,  Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa Chairman and CEO will take up the role as  BoG Chairman at the end of June 2019.