Addressing concerns over two deadly
passenger plane crashes involving Boeing’s
737 Max model, IATA’s director-general
said the disasters “have put our reputation
in the spotlight.”
“Investigations will ultimately reveal the cause.
And a remedy will be found,” Alexandre de
Juniac said, according to a transcript of his
speech on IATA’s website.
The 737 Max was grounded after the crash of
an Ethiopian Airlines jet in mid-March. A Lion
Air Max crashed in October off the Indonesian
coast. In all, 346 people died.
“The consequences of these tragedies,
however, go far beyond the technical,” he
said. “Trust in the certification system has been
damaged — among regulators,
between regulators and the industry and with
the flying public.”
De Juniac called for confidence to be restored
in the way that civil aircrafts are certified by
aviation authorities and for better coordination
among regulators and industry when accidents
occur and swift action needs to be taken.
“People were confused as grounding decisions
rolled out in some markets while it was business
as usual in others,” he told the meeting. “Put
yourselves in the shoes of travelers and I am
sure anyone would expect better.”
IATA members at the meeting also backed
a plan that will cap net emissions of the
greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from
international aviation at 2020 levels. Airlines
will have to spend money on carbon reduction
measures elsewhere to offset excess emissions.