Delta’s Leo Mullin Takes Chairmanship Role Of International Air Transport Association

Leo F. Mullin, chairman and chief executive officer, Delta Air Lines, today assumed the Chairman of the Board of Governors position for the International Air Transportation Association (IATA).

Mullin, who participated in IATA’s Board meeting in Sydney, Australia, said, "IATA’s key role is always to uplift aviation industry standards by building on our core commitment to safety. We’ll continue forging a global environment that furthers the safe development of aviation throughout the world, in part by ensuring the acceptance of appropriate and universal operational standards."

IATA is the international airline industry’s global trade organization and the Board of Governors exercises an oversight and executive role on behalf of the membership as a whole. In addition to industry safety, Mullin sees two additional primary issues facing IATA during his one-year term: aircraft noise and air traffic control.

Concerns over global noise standards are shaping up as a serious challenge, says Mullin, citing the protracted negotiations on this subject between the United States and the European Union. "Our industry must serve as a good citizen in the communities where we operate," he says. "As part of that commitment, we must seek continuous improvement in noise standards in a context that allows airlines to use aircraft fully to the end of the aircraft’s economic life."

Air traffic control system constraints are another tough issue. "Air traffic capacity problems are huge in the U.S., but these problems are dwarfed by the problems in Europe," he says. "Airlines are deeply concerned because this issue affects the thing we care most about: providing our customers with safe, reliable, comfortable service. In addition, the delays and cancellations that result from outmoded and inefficient air traffic control systems cost the airlines millions of dollars every year."

In talking about the benefit of IATA’s work on standards and procedures, Mullin said, "The major benefit has been the interlining system that permits the smooth and rapid transfer of passengers and cargo from one airline to another. The work on distribution has created a worldwide system for the sale of air transportation through intermediary agents, guaranteeing easy access to air transportation for customers regardless of where they live.

"Thanks to interlining, a customer can use an airline sales/ticket office or a travel agency and, in a single transaction in one currency, purchase transportation for an itinerary involving any number of airlines and any number of intermediate stops or transfer points. No single airline can fly to the more than 2,000 airports around the world that are served by the industry, but any passenger can fly between any of them," he added.

IATA represents and serves the airline industry and promotes safe, reliable and secure air services, It provides high quality, industry-required products and services while developing cost-effective, environmentally-friendly standards and procedures to facilitate the operation of international air transport. IATA is also the trade association of the world's international airline industry. Founded in 1945, it now groups together 270 airlines, including the world's largest. These airlines fly over 98 percent of all international scheduled air traffic.

Delta’s goal is to become the #1 airline in the eyes of its customers, flying passengers and cargo from anywhere to everywhere. Passengers already choose to fly Delta more often than any other airline in the world, and the carrier was named "Best-Managed Major Airline" in 1999 by Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine. Customers have access to a global network of 5,390 flights each day to 356 cities in 57 countries on Delta, Delta Express, Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers and Delta's Worldwide Partners.