Airlines need a united front to beat the challenges – Iata

The airline industry must unite in its approach to overcome the many challenges facing global air transport or suffer the consequences, Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (Iata), said recently. “United we stand, divided we fall,” he said. “Even for our relatively young industry this age-old truth has enormous relevance. Aviation is fiercely competitive. But working together through strong partnerships we can overcome.” He called on the industry to stand together while taking some “difficult decisions that position aviation for a promising future”, saying it was the only way for the industry to move forward. Addressing the issues around taxes and regulation as a united industry would achieve far better results than a fragmented approach, said Tyler. “We have already shown that this is possible with safety regulation that now underpins solid performances. But not all regulation delivers value. We are a service industry that operates in a hypercompetitive environment. Yet governments feel they need to protect our customers from us. It is totally appropriate that governments set some simple guarantees. But that’s not what’s happening. Regulators – the guardians of competition – are micromanaging our businesses. And the rules can be so prescriptive that they stifle innovation,” he said.