Mehmet T. Nane, Chair of the IATA Board of Governors, passes key position to Yvonne Manzi Makolo

Mehmet T. Nane, Chairperson of the Board of Pegasus Airlines, completed his one-year term of office and handed over the role of Chair of the IATA Board of Governors to Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO of RwandAir.

Mehmet T. Nane, Chairperson of the Board of Pegasus Airlines, completed his one-year term of office and handed over the role of Chair of the IATA Board of Governors to Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO of RwandAir. Yvonne Manzi Makolo, who took over the position at the 79th Annual Ordinary General Assembly Meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) held in Istanbul, is the first woman to assume this duty at IATA and will continue for one year. Mehmet T. Nane remains as a member of the Executive Committee for one more year.

Making a statement on the topic, Mehmet T. Nane said, “It was a great honour and a privileged experience for me to assume such an important responsibility as the Chair of the Board of Governors and to become the first Turkish Chairperson of IATA during a very challenging period in the aviation industry. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the entire IATA team, starting with Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. Now, I am also honoured, because Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO of RwandAir, who will take over from me, will be the first woman Chair of IATA. I wish her tremendous success in her work to support the sustainable development of the global aviation industry.”

Mehmet T. Nane, who took over the position of Chair of the IATA Board of Governors from Robin Hayes, CEO of JetBlue Airways, at the 78th IATA Annual Ordinary General Assembly Meeting held in Doha, during his one-year term of office, worked towards IATA’s goals of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, increasing women’s representation in the industry, and advancing the industry further. In addition to these efforts, with his belief and trust in the Turkish aviation industry, he has contributed to the organisation of IATA’s European and global meetings in Türkiye with his intensive efforts since the day he took office.