Airline Auditors to hold Annual Conference in Dubai

Emirates Airline is hosting this year’s annual conference of the International Association of Airline Internal Auditors (IAAIA) in Dubai from 19th to 22nd October, the first time the conference will be held in the Middle East.

Taking as its theme, “Success through sharing”, the conference at the Jebel Ali Beach Resort will be inaugurated by Maurice Flanagan CBE, Emirates’ Vice Chairman and Group President, and attended by more than 100 airline audit professionals from around the world.

Giving their perspective of the aviation industry, CEOs of major carriers in the Gulf and Middle East region will address the conference, including Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, and James Hogan, Gulf Air’s President and Chief Executive.

M.A. Siddique, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Internal Audit, said: “Emirates is grateful to the Executive Committee of the IAAIA for selecting Dubai as the venue of its annual conference. It gives us the chance to showcase Dubai as a vibrant business hub and world-class conference venue, as well as an ideal tourist destination.

“This Conference will bring together the best in the profession world-wide, where they can share their knowledge and experience. Delegates will have also the chance, quite literally, to ‘get to grips’ with real life business situations and audit issues.”

During the past 20 years, Mr Siddique has played a prominent part in the growth of internal auditing in the Gulf and Middle East region, as well as in airline internal auditing, and was recently elected to the position of Director-at-large of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). The IIA, established in 1941, has over 85,000 members world-wide, and is recognised globally as the authority, principal educator and leader in certification and research in internal auditing.

Thiru Pillay, the current Chairperson of the IAAIA and Chief Internal Auditor for South African Airways said: “On behalf of the IAAIA, I would like to thank Emirates Airline, Gulf Air and other regional carriers as well as the Department of Civil Aviation for their support. When the Executive Committee first came to Dubai to decide on the venue, they were fascinated by the city.

“Easily accessible by air, Dubai is a city of contrasts, a land where the old and the new, traditional and modern, east and west blend seamlessly to produce a fascinating, mysterious and exciting place with a personality all of its own. We are looking forward to the conference in Dubai.”

The IAAIA was created in 1991 by audit professionals from IATA and from the world’s leading carriers with the objective of developing and maintaining audit standards for airline industry. With more than 50 international scheduled passenger and cargo airlines as its members, IAAIA has promoted co-operation among international carriers and has help set up path-breaking audit bodies like the ISPAG (Industry Settlement Plan Audit Group).

Since inception, Emirates has been a prominent member of the body’s Executive Committee which also includes the heads of Internal Audit of British Airways, Continental, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Air Malta, Air Canada, Alitalia, and Icelandair.