The meeting was chaired by Mohamed El-Hout, chairman of the board, director general, Middle East Airlines and Chairman of AACO’s Executive Committee, with the participation of the following members of the executive committee: Tony Douglas, Group CEO, Etihad Aviation Group, H.E. Akbar Al Baker, Group CEO, Qatar Airways, Abdelhamid Addo, CEO, Royal Air Maroc, H.E. Ibrahim Abdul Rahman Al Omar, director general, Saudia, and Khaled Chelly, CEO, Tunisair, in addition to AACO’s secretary general, Abdul Wahab Teffaha.
The meeting discussed the current state of the industry, including the recovery of the aviation sector and travel demand following the COVID-19 crisis and the time expectations for the sector’s recovery, in addition to the repercussions of the war in Ukraine on air transport, which mainly affected the operating costs of airlines around the world due to the significant increase in aviation fuel prices.
The meeting also focused on several strategic issues; most importantly, aviation and the environment, whereby the committee affirmed its support for CORSIA-the global system for reducing emissions for international aviation, as the only Market-Based Measure to deal with international aviation’s emissions.
In addition, the committee discussed the latest developments in ICAO in preparation for discussions on the aspirational long-term goal of reducing CO2 emissions for international aviation, which will be discussed at the ICAO General Assembly this month in Montreal. The committee also raised important principles to facilitate the use of sustainable and low-carbon aviation fuels to reduce aviation emissions.
The Committee dug deeper into digital transformation in enhancing sales through direct channels and improving customer relationship management, while looking at the challenges facing airlines in both direct and indirect channels.
The executive committee also raised the issue of the danger posed by transporting lithium batteries on board aircraft inside the baggage of passengers, stressing the importance of having unified standards for all concerned aimed at avoiding accidents or damage that may result from not declaring the presence of this type of batteries inside the baggage.
In the end, the committee reviewed the latest developments of the current joint projects between AACO members, and some administrative and financial affairs for the organisation.
