This Wednesday (17) Alexandre de Juniac held his last press conference as General Director & CEO of IATA, a position he held since 2016 and in which he will be replaced by Willie Walsh as of April 1.
Within the framework of the conference, the executive referred to how hard it has been to go through the COVID-19 crisis both for the industry and on a personal level, how in just days the globalized world we knew was desintegrated and for which aviation has been one of its pillars.
And the numbers of 2020 that IATA showed confirm this, with passenger traffic collapsing 66% globally, and placing it at 1998 levels, while revenues fell USD 418 billion, reaching figures similar to those of 1993.
During the wide range of topics discussed at the conference, from Aviacionline we asked De Juniac about one last message for the governments of Latin America in relation to the industry, a region that has its particularities in the global context.
As a first point, he stated that the «market would need greater collaboration or unification by governments to accelerate its development», emphasizing that everything «would be simpler» if there were regional aeronautical authorities, an issue IATA has been advocating for a long time.
«Second, there are some parts of the region where operating an airline is still expensive and difficult» de Juniac continued, adding that countries should be more open in terms of traffic freedoms.
The outgoing IATA head also highlighted the impressive dynamics shown by some airlines in the region in recent years.
In reference to the pandemic context, De Juniac pointed out the need for some countries to reopen international air traffic, naming Venezuela as an example, which is restricted to only a few countries.
He also showed his disappointment at the lack of economic support that most Latin American governments have given to the industry during the crisis. «We have received some help, but not enough. They could have been more proactive and supportive» concluded de Juniac.
Asked by other journalists regarding his plans after IATA, de Juniac said with a somewhat joking tone that «if he could say it, he would do it», showing doubts about the path he will follow.
Prior to assuming the role of General Director & CEO of IATA, Alexandre de Juniac held the position of President and CEO of Air France-KLM since 2013. Between 2011 and 2013 he was also President and CEO of Air France. He was also chief of staff at the French Ministry of Economy, Industry and Employment between 2009 and 2001 during the management of Christine Lagarde, while between 1995 and 2009 he passed through Thales and Thompson-CSF.
