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His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum ess hmed um
Alexandre de Juniac
ARCHITECT OF DUBAI’S GLOBAL AIR CONNECTIVITY Chairman & Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum has led Emirates since its founding in 1985, overseeing one of aviation’s most remarkable growth stories. Under his leadership, Emirates expanded from a small regional carrier into a global airline that has reshaped long-haul travel and transformed Dubai into the world’s busiest international air hub by passenger traffic. As chairman of the Emirates Group, including dnata, he has also helped establish aviation as a pillar of Dubai’s economic diversification strategy.
LEADING AVIATION THROUGH CRISIS YEARS Former Director General & CEO, IATA
Alexandre de Juniac led the International Air Transport Association (IATA) from 2016 to 2021, a tenure that ended with aviation facing its most severe crisis in modern history. A former CEO of Air France-KLM, he became one of the industry’s most visible and credible advocates during the COVID-19 lockdowns, pressing governments for coordinated action and state support. His time at IATA reinforced the organisation’s role as aviation’s collective voice at a moment when the industry’s survival was openly in question.
Salvatore Sciacchitano
Willie Walsh
AN ADVOCATE FOR AIRLINE ECONOMICS Director General, IATA
SETTING THE RULES FOR GLOBAL AVIATION President of the Council, ICAO
Willie Walsh was appointed Director General of IATA in 2021, bringing an operator’s directness to an industry body often required to tread carefully. A former pilot and CEO of Aer Lingus, British Airways and IAG, Walsh understands airline economics from the inside. He has used IATA’s platform to challenge airport inefficiencies, rising regulatory costs and supply-chain bottlenecks, while backing the industry’s net-zero ambitions. His leadership has sharpened IATA’s stance on costs, infrastructure and regulation, with a consistent focus on airline viability.
Salvatore Sciacchitano became President of the ICAO Council in early 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the grounding of hundreds of scheduled flights worldwide. Elected by member states, he has overseen international coordination on safety standards, pandemic response and long-term sustainability frameworks. Formerly Italy’s civil aviation authority chief, Sciacchitano is a regulator by training rather than a politician. His role rarely attracts attention, but it shapes the rules that keep global aviation interoperable — a task that became far more visible during years of disruption.
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