NOBODY wants the International Air Traffic Association (IATA) to become an inwards-looking organisation that is more concerned about running itself than delivering results, according to the CEO of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker.

    His harsh rebuke of IATA was said to have led a fierce attack by airlines on IATA at the organisation's annual general meeting in Singapore.



    Mr Al Baker said the association was "run by the few, for the few" and that it lacked transparency. He also slammed the amount of money IATA spends on travel and other expenses, reports London's International Freighting Weekly.



    Incoming IATA chief former Cathay Pacific CEO Tony Tyler responded, saying: "I heard your message for greater membership involvement and for more transparency. And my challenge will be to deliver these, and at the same time to do it without compromising IATA's effectiveness and IATA's ability to execute and deliver what the industry needs."



    Mr Al Baker, was also angry about IATA spending - US$18 million on travel last year, $58 million on data processing and IT, and $29 million on outsourcing and consultants.



    Emirates Airlines also demanded more dialogue to ensure IATA was more transparent, while International Airlines Group, the holding company of British Airways and Iberia, wanted clarity on the voting process of board members.



    Mr Al Baker also questioned the auditing process of IATA's 2010 financial statement and the "surprise" nomination of Etihad CEO James Hogan to fill a new seat on the board, created to "broaden the representation of carriers from the Middle East."



    "Firstly, such decisions should be transparent and secondly, if geographical representation is the basis of the composition of the board, the regional airlines involved should be informed in advance of their regional allotments so that they can co-ordinate who should represent them," he was quoted as saying.



    The report also said that the airlines present also launched a motion for IATA to reconsider the appointment of its auditors.

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