Kuwait Airways

Former Kuwait Airways CEO to lead IATA effort to kick-start Middle East aviation sector

Kamil H Al-Awadhi will become IATA's regional vice president for Africa and Middle East in March. A former CEO of Kuwait Airways has been appointed the Middle East head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and will lead efforts to kick-start the regional aviation sector in the post-coronavirus era. IATA has announced that Kamil H Al-Awadhi will be appointed its regional vice president for Africa and Middle East (AME), effective from March 1, 2021. Most recently, Al-Awadhi was CEO of Kuwait Airways, a responsibility he held from November 2018 through to this August. That capped a 31-year career at Kuwait Airways during which his positions included deputy CEO and chief operating officer while he has also held several positions in the areas of safety, security, quality management and enterprise resource planning. At IATA, Al-Awadhi will lead its activities across the Middle East and Africa from its regional office in Amman, Jordan. Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO, said: “Kamil is an industry veteran who brings a tremendous depth of airline expertise and regional experience. These will be critical in leading IATA’s activities in the AME region at this very challenging time. As a former CEO, he knows what member airlines expect of IATA. And, I have no doubt that Kamil has the skills and determination to exceed those expectations as we aim to reconnect the world amid the coronavirus pandemic.” Al-Awadhi added: “Like all regions, AME will need a strong air transport industry to kick-start the economic recovery from COVID-19. The priority to revive aviation is clear and IATA is at the centre of this effort. "There is no time to waste. We must help governments to re-open borders without quarantine and we need to ensure that the industry is ready to safely scale-up operations and implement the global standards that will keep passenger and crew safe during the pandemic and beyond,” he said. His appointment comes as Middle Eastern airlines are expected to see their losses rise to $7.1 billion this year as the coronavirus pandemic continues to decimate the aviation industry. IATA figures show that air passenger demand in the region has slumped by 73 percent in 2020 compared to last year while capacity has also fallen by 64.5 percent. IATA previously said full-year 2020 passenger numbers in the Middle East are forecast to reach only 30 percent of 2019 levels, down significantly from the 45 percent that was projected in July. In absolute numbers, the Middle East is expected to see 60 million travellers this year compared to the 203 million in 2019. The aviation authority said that a full return to 2019 levels is not expected until late 2024 in the Middle East region.

Kuwait · 21 Dec 2020