Business View Caribbean | July 2019

22 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN JULY 2019 nearly 50 member airlines spread across 35 countries in North, Central, and South America. The regional office for the Americas is based in Miami and supported by 10 field offices. Key areas of importance for the region include safety and security, sustainability, development of efficient and affordable infrastructure, smarter regulation, and reducing the heavy taxes and charges imposed on aviation and air travel in many countries. IATA works closely with regional and local airline associations, governments, safety regulators, airports, and other key stakeholders. Speaking to the critical importance of the air transport industry, CARPHA Executive Director, Dr. C. James Hospedales states, “Without air connectivity, the Caribbean Public Health Association’s (CARPHA) service to its Member States and people of the Caribbean would simply not be possible.” Quoted in an IATA report, Hospedales explains, “With increasing numbers of epidemics and threats to the region, an even deeper partnership is required with regional airlines and port authorities to prevent disease, and promote and protect health.” In conjunction with major stakeholders throughout the region, the IATA Americas team has developed a five-year strategic plan to address the largest opportunities and threats; creating common objectives and initiatives on which to focus through 2022. In an interview with Business View Caribbean, Peter Cerda, IATA America’s Regional Vice President, shares his insights into the Association’s evolution, the benefits of membership, and objectives for the future. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. BVC: Can you tell us the backstory of IATA and its importance to the Caribbean region? Cerda: “IATA was founded in 1945 in Havana, Cuba. At that first meeting, there were 57 airlines present to create the Association. The goal was to benefit the people we represent, the travelers, and also foster congress by promoting a safe, efficient, and economically viable system for the air transport industry. Today, we continue to work closely with governments around the world and our industry stakeholders on standards and best practices. It’s a very balanced organization. We have traditional, long-standing large carriers, and we also have low-cost, smaller, regional carriers that are part of tour membership. So, we’re looking at the entire pictured above IATA America’s Regional Vice President, Peter Cerda