THE 68th annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and World Air Transport Summit is to be held in Beijing at the China World Hotel from June 10 to 12.
    "IATA held its first AGM in China in Shanghai in 2002 and it is a great pleasure that we are able to bring this event back to China after 10 years," said IATA CEO and director general Tony Tyler.
    "In a decade, the country has seen impressive developments in air transport and it has become an important driver of growth in aviation," said Mr Tyler, the former CEO of Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways.
    The discussions in June will focus on some of the economic and other challenges facing the industry, squeezed between high oil prices and still fragile profitability.
    "But since we will be in China, a country of huge economic scale, we will also spend some time discussing how to make the most of business opportunities there," Mr Tyler said.
    IATA pointed out that given the time needed to obtain travel visas to China, participants have been urged to register as soon as possible, and added that accommodation and preferential rates have been arranged at the China World Hotel.

(source:shipping online)