Luis Gallego Chairs IATA Board - Middle East Business News and Information
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Luis Gallego, CEO of International Airlines Group (IAG), has assumed his duties as Chair of the IATA Board. His one-year term began at the conclusion of the 81st IATA Annual General Meeting in New Delhi, India, on 2 June 2025.
Gallego is the 83rd Chair of the IATA Board on which he has served since 2018. Gallego succeeds IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, who will continue to serve on the Board.
'I am honored to be taking up the position of Chair of the IATA Board. The airline industry faces significant challenges—accelerating environmental action, managing geopolitical shifts and supply chain issues, and dealing with concerns over infrastructure capacity and costs. At the same time, the industry has incredible strengths to call on— most of all the quality of the people that strive to make aviation a safe, secure and rewarding experience for millions of travelers every day. IATA has a vital role in harnessing these human and technical resources to deliver leadership and innovation. I look forward to playing my part in steering IATA in its long mission for a strong and successful airline industry,' said Gallego.
Gallego has nearly 30 years of broad experience in the aviation industry. He became IAG's chief executive in September 2020, joining from Iberia, where he was chairman and chief executive from January 2014. During his tenure at Iberia, he turned the airline around and improved its efficiency, customer service and brand. Before that, Gallego launched Iberia Express, as chief executive from January 2012, making the new Iberia subsidiary one of the most efficient and punctual airlines in Europe.
Gallego joined Iberia Express from Vueling where he was chief operating officer from 2009, when the airline merged with the low-cost carrier Clickair which he co-founded in 2006. He held various posts at Spanish regional airline Air Nostrum between 1997 and 2006.
'I look forward to working with Luis to deliver an agenda of IATA activities that are critical to the current and future success of our member airlines. Luis has a long and deep involvement with the complex issues which are top priorities for our Association—facilitating net zero carbon emissions by 2050, achieving a smart approach to regulation and ensuring a capacity and cost structure that can meet the growing demands for air connectivity. I also want to thank Pieter Elbers for his strong support and leadership over the past year, and in particular for his hosting of a spectacular and invigorating AGM in India,' said Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General.
Chair Elect and Board Appointments:
IATA announced Roberto Alvo, CEO of LATAM Airlines Group, to serve as Chair of the Board from June 2026, following Gallego's term. IATA also published the full list of its 32 Board members.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CairoScene
2 days ago
- CairoScene
% Arabica Opens On Egypt's North Coast
% Arabica, The Kyoto-born coffee brand has just opened its second Egypt location in Marassi. Because even on holiday, you still deserve good coffee. Especially on holidays... Jun 19, 2025 You'd think being off work, out of Cairo, and unbothered by morning alarms would mean you're somehow above caffeine. But no. Even in the North Coast - land of long lunches, late nights, and the general illusion of rest - you'll still find yourself in desperate need of a cold brew. % Arabica, The Kyoto-born coffee brand has just opened its second Egypt location in Marassi. And while it won't save you from your friends' terrible playlists or that 11am sunburn, it will hand you a perfectly balanced iced Spanish latte. Since launching in Egypt last year, % Arabica has attracted the kind of loyalty usually reserved for actual cults and good parking spots. And with good reason. The branding is clean, the coffee is sharp, and the baristas move like they're choreographed. Whether you're dragging yourself out of bed after a night that escalated quickly, or simply looking for a midday caffeine fix, % Arabica is there. Calm, capable, and serving espresso like it's a moral responsibility. Because even on holiday, you still deserve good coffee. Especially on holidays.
CairoScene
4 days ago
- CairoScene
Two Dubai Eateries Named Among World's Most Beautiful Restaurants
The two design-forward spots were recognised by the prestigious Prix Versailles for their architecture and interior design. Jun 17, 2025 Two of Dubai's most distinctive dining destinations—Gerbou and Smoked Room—have just been recognised among the world's most beautiful restaurants in the prestigious 2025 Prix Versailles list, which celebrates excellence in design across hospitality spaces globally. Gerbou, a collaboration between Tashkeel and Atelier House Hospitality, is set inside a reimagined 1980s community centre in Nad Al Sheba. Its interiors are a tactile tribute to Emirati culture—featuring camel-leather banquettes, a Ghaf wood reception desk, fish-scale light fittings, and earth-toned textures that nod to the desert landscape. With 75% of its ingredients sourced locally, Gerbou's philosophy of sustainability and cultural rootedness is reflected not only on the plate, but in every design decision. The result is a space that feels at once grounded and elevated—a contemporary expression of heritage. Smoked Room, meanwhile, is located in St. Regis Gardens on the Palm and offers a more intimate, immersive experience: just 14 seats, and a menu built entirely around the theatre of smoke and fire. Created by acclaimed Spanish chef Dani García, the concept earned a Michelin star within six months of opening. Inside, the design leans moody and elemental—think charred wood, ambient lighting, and a raw material palette that mirrors the cooking technique itself. It's refined, primal, and utterly transportive. Gerbou and Smoked Room's recognition in the Prix Versailles list highlights Dubai's emergence as a serious contender in the global design conversation—where restaurants double as cultural and aesthetic landmarks.
Egypt Independent
5 days ago
- Egypt Independent
America's migrant workers are terrified to work but unable to stay home
New York CNN — In the early morning on Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents chased farmworkers through a field in Oxnard, California. Agents tackled and restrained workers amid rows of produce, as seen in video from CNN affiliate KABC. 'What I fear is that sometimes, out of necessity, we show up wherever there's work,' one farmworker with her face covered told KABC in Spanish. 'With everything that is happening it's a bit difficult for us.' ICE, racing to fulfill President Donald Trump's goal to increase deportations, has increasingly targeted work sites for immigration sweeps in recent weeks. The escalation is creating a chilling effect on the businesses that rely on immigrant labor and the workers themselves, with some staying home out of fear. America's agriculture, construction, health care and hospitality industries are powered by immigrant workers, both legal and undocumented. 'Recent immigration enforcement raids on businesses nationwide are creating serious challenges for local economies, communities, and industries that depend on immigrant labor to operate and prosper,' said Rebecca Shi, the CEO of American Business Immigration Coalition, a group representing employers with immigrants. Undocumented immigrants make up 4% to 5% of the total US workforce, but 15% to 20% or more in industries such as crop production, food processing and construction, according to Goldman Sachs. United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero told CNN that she's been getting calls from concerned farmworkers across California about ICE crackdowns in the state. There are 2.4 million farmworkers in the United States, according to the Economic Policy Institute, 40% of whom the Agriculture Department estimates lack legal status. Farmworkers on a field in March near the US-Mexico border in Calexico, California. Undocumented workers make up an estimated 40% of farmworkers in the United the threat of deportation, migrant workers often can't afford to stay home, Romero said. 'They're terrified, but they have a family to support. They have a rent to pay, they have children to take to school, buy clothing and everything,' she said. 'They have to tell their children what to do if they don't come home.' Trump appeared to acknowledge Thursday that his immigration policies are straining farmers and businesses. 'Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!' But some farm owners worry that the Trump administration's current crackdown on undocumented immigrants will affect the nation's ability to produce food, Romero said. 'I can guarantee you that we're not going to have the workers that we need to do this work in agriculture,' she said. 'The agriculture industry in this country is going to disappear.' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters on Thursday that she's already getting reports of people not going to work and store shelves being empty because people in the city are worried about being detained by ICE. Los Angeles' immigrant community is essential to the city's economy, she added. 'There are entire sectors of our economy that will not function if the immigrant community is too afraid to go to work and too afraid to go to school,' Bass said. Workplace sweeps Mass workplace immigration raids were a priority during Trump's first term, culminating in at least 680 arrests during a 2019 raid on chicken processing plants in Mississippi. The Biden administration ended the practice, saying employers exploited the raids to suppress workers from reporting labor violations. But ICE has stepped up sweeps again in recent weeks on industries that rely heavily on immigrant workers. That includes a local construction company in Exeter, Pennsylvania; construction sites in Brownsville, Texas; and a flood control project in New Orleans. ICE arrested about 40 people in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, two prominent vacation spots in Massachusetts, last month. CNN asked ICE how many raids have been made under Trump's second term. The agency acknowledged CNN's request but did not respond to the question. 'Worksite enforcement operations are going to massively expand,' White House border czar Tom Homan said in an interview with Semafor on Wednesday. Detaining employees can have a significant impact on small businesses. For example, after authorities took dozens of workers away in buses following a raid at an Omaha meat production plant Tuesday morning, the plant was left running at about 30% capacity. The restaurant industry employs 1 million undocumented workers, or 10% of the total workforce, according to the Center for Migration Studies. It would be difficult for some restaurants to run without undocumented workers. 'The reality is … there clearly are not enough people in the United States who are authorized to work to fill all the available jobs,' said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the not-for-profit group NYC Hospitality Alliance. 'And because of that, you have people that have come to our country for many different reasons that are not authorized to work but find their way into the workforce to meet the needs and demands of United States citizens.' Home Depot becomes a flash point Arrests of migrant workers outside one business have become a flash point for opponents of Trump's immigration crackdown: Home Depot. Day laborers have long gathered outside the parking lots of Home Depot or similar retailers to find work. Home Depot, in particular, is a convenient spot for contractors and homeowners in many communities to approach and hire laborers to paint walls, nail down roofing and complete other manual labor projects. Day laborers are often paid in cash, and many return to these locations every day in hope of getting more work. Immigration agents conducted a sweep Friday outside a Home Depot in Westlake, Los Angeles, setting off days of protests around the city. Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles, overriding California Governor Gavin Newsom. A Home Depot store in Westlake, California. Home Depot parking lots have long been convenient spots for day laborers to find work. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images Home Depot told CNN that it is not notified when immigration officials and law enforcement conduct sweeps and that the company is not involved in the operations. The retail chain has been a target of immigration arrests — and protests — well before last week. In a raid on a Home Depot in Pomona, California, in April, 10 undocumented immigrants were detained, a senior official from the Department of Homeland Security told CNN. That led to a protest outside Home Depot among advocates for day laborers. 'Construction companies, contractors, private homeowners — they have historically gone to the Home Depot to buy their materials and then they come outside and hire a day laborer,' Alexis Teodoro, the worker rights director for the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, a non-profit that helps day laborers find work and job training, told CNN at the time. 'This is common knowledge and is almost as American as apple pie now.' CNN's Stephanie Elam, Elise Hammond and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this story.
