ABOUT US CAREERS CONTACT & SUPPORT PROGRAMS POLICY PUBLICATIONS SERVICES TRAINING EVENTS PRESSROOM You & IATA Home About Us History ABOUT US Mission & Vision Priorities Members Strategic Partners IATA Management Governance Structure History IATA's Leaders since 1945 The Business of Freedom A Force for Good Ensuring the viability of air transport for the new millennium From a New Trade Association to a New Strategic Thrust A Two Tier IATA Growth and Development The Early Days IATA by Region Our Offices & Telephone Numbers The Founding of IATA IATA was founded in Havana, Cuba, on 19 April 1945. It is the prime vehicle for inter-airline cooperation in promoting safe, reliable, secure and economical air services - for the benefit of the world's consumers. The international scheduled air transport industry is more than 100 times larger than it was in 1945. Few industries can match the dynamism of that growth, which would have been much less spectacular without the standards, practices and procedures developed within IATA. At its founding, IATA had 57 members from 31 nations, mostly in Europe and North America. Today it has some 290 members from 120 nations in every part of the globe. April 2020: 75 years of working together with our member airlines. The modern IATA is the successor to the International Air Traffic Association founded in the Hague in 1919 - the year of the world's first international scheduled services. History episodes from the start > Early Days > Growth and development > A two tier IATA > From a new trade association to a new strategic thrust > Ensuring the viability of air transport > A force for good > The business of freedom Portraits of IATA past leaders > IATA's leaders since 1945 History on paper IATA & Aviation History Book Our mission is to represent, lead and serve the airline industry Airlines magazine www.airlines.iata.org Aviation benefits beyond borders www.aviationbenefits.org © International Air Transport Association (IATA) 2021. All rights reserved. Anti-slavery statement Privacy Legal We use cookies to give you the best experience on our website. We also use cookies for advertising purposes. Please see our privacy policy and cookies help page for complete information. YES, GOT IT