International Air Transport Association (IATA)

What is IATA?

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is a trade association representing more than 290 airlines (82% of all air traffic) across 117+ countries. The association is also known to have been involved with helping create and set industry standards and policies on critical aviation issues like safety, carbon emissions, business practices, etc. When shipping air cargo, it is necessary to comply with safety guidelines and standards set by IATA and submit all required shipment documentation.

More about IATA

In 1945, IATA was founded and succeeded its predecessor, the International Air Traffic Association, that was formed in 1919. Now headquartered in Montréal (Canada), IATA has spearheaded safety initiatives like the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) for airlines. For freight forwarders, the association has set safety standards for shipments containing lithium batteries, hazardous loads, and live animals.