RIYADH: Global aviation leaders are set to pave the way for a more sustainable future in the International Air Transport Association’s 79th annual general meeting that began in Istanbul, Turkiye, on June 4. The three-day event will attract industry experts from IATA’s 300-member airlines, government officials, strategic partners and equipment suppliers. “Airlines will meet to review the industry’s recovery from COVID-19, to plan the way forward to a more sustainable future, to discuss the opportunities for technology to drive efficiencies from modern retailing to improved facilitation, and to understand the common regulatory challenges they face,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, said before the start of the event. This will be the second time IATA’s AGM has been hosted by Istanbul since 2008. The country is rebounding strongly after the pandemic. In 2022, travel from and to Turkiye increased nearly 60 percent compared to the year before, and it is now the seventh-largest international passenger market in the world, the Emirates News Agency, also known as WAM, reported. “Aviation is important. Connecting the world even as geopolitical divides deepen is a vital mission that requires profitable, safe, efficient and sustainable airlines. The outcomes of this IATA’s AGM must set the direction for even more effective global connectivity,” Walsh said. He added: “Since we were last in Istanbul, Turkiye has become an incredible global aviation powerhouse. Its carriers are leading the way in regional and international connectivity, and the magnificent new airport puts some other nations’ lack of airport investment to shame. There’s no doubt that Turkiye’s importance to global aviation will continue to grow significantly.” The meeting will address current challenges in the industry, the sector’s contribution to Turkiye’s recent earthquake recovery, and updates on sustainable travel, besides holding award ceremonies.