Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain – 29 June 2022: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, recently attended the 78th IATA Annual General Meeting which was held in Doha, Qatar on 19 – 21 June 2022. The event is organised by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on an annual basis and it sees member airlines from all over the world attending and networking under one roof.

The event included the 78th Annual General Meeting which covered the election of the AGM president, speeches by various keynote speakers from the aviation industry, annual report of the air transport industry, and report of the Board of Governors. The meeting also included Diversity and Inclusion Awards, as well as speeches and workshops about economic outlook and climate change.

In addition, the event included election of members to the Board of Governors and confirmation of appointments to the 2023 Nominating Committee. The AGM has accorded its confidence to Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi by confirming him as a key member of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is appointed to make recommendations to the Annual General Meeting for appointments of members to the Board of Governors.  This role is a further achievement for Gulf Air due to its importance in shaping the Association’s Board of Governors.

Commenting on Gulf Air’s recent achievement, H.E. Mr. Zayed R. Alzayani, Minister of Industry and Commerce and Chairman to the Board of Directors at Gulf Air said “Congratulations to Gulf Air and to Captain Waleed AlAlawi for this appointment, which demonstrates again that the national carrier is a recognized international force in the aviation industry across the globe. It is a great achievement and a great responsibility. I am certain that Captain Waleed AlAlawi’s extensive aviation experience and international background will be a true asset to the Committee, and that this opportunity will enable Gulf Air to continue to grow ties with the IATA members to shape aviation industry decisions going forwards in these complex times.”

Referring to this Gulf Air milestone, Captain Waleed AlAlawi commented “We are delighted to represent the Kingdom of Bahrain and our national carrier through this important role that secures our input as a major international airline, and further advances our role as a key player in the aviation sector.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) was established in 1945, and is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 290 airlines or 83% of total air traffic. IATA supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.​ This year marks the 78th edition of IATA AGM, a major event for aviation which gathers the top leadership from airlines, the aviation value chain and governments as the aviation industry faces complex and dynamic operating, business and geopolitical environments.