Retirement of Des Vertannes from IATA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) have announced that their Global Head of Cargo, Des Vertannes, will be retiring from his position after the Association’s Annual General Meeting in June.

“After a long and incredibly fulfilling career in air cargo, the time has come for me to pass on the baton and spend some more time with my family. This is not a decision I have taken easily. There are so many exciting challenges in air cargo, so many great projects we are working on, and so many fantastic people, whom I am proud to regard as friends. It will be a huge wrench to step away from that. This is not quite goodbye: for the next two months I am still at the helm and I am dedicated to continuing the work to strengthen this amazing industry,” said Des.

IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler said: “I want to pay tribute to Des, who has been an outstanding leader of IATA’s cargo team. Des joined us after a distinguished career in air freight to drive our cargo agenda. His most recent act–to call for a 48-hour cut in freight transit times by 2020–was typical of his vision. I know that all in IATA and the wider air cargo world will join me in thanking him for his great work, and wishing him a long and happy retirement.”