Slavery & Human Trafficking Statement

IATA is committed to leading the airline industry in playing its part to help combat slavery and human trafficking, as detailed below. IATA is also committed to improving its internal processes to ensure that both the organization and its supply chains are free from slavery or human trafficking, including forced labor and child labor.

IATA as an international trade association

IATA is the global trade association of the world’s airlines, representing some 330 airlines that comprise 83% of total air traffic. IATA’s mission is to represent, lead, and serve the airline industry. With this unique privilege comes enormous responsibility. See an overview of IATA’s vision and priorities.

IATA was established in 1945, by a special Act of the Canadian Parliament. IATA is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, with subsidiaries, branch and representative offices in different locations throughout the world. IATA currently has around 1,530 employees with some 300 being employed in Canada. At this time IATA has 54 other office locations throughout the world.

The IATA Board of Governors exercises an oversight and executive role, including the general management and control of the activities, affairs, funds, and property of IATA, on behalf of the membership as a whole.

IATA’s Sustainability and Environment Advisory Council (SEAC) acts as an advisor to the Board and IATA management on matters related to corporate sustainability. IATA has raised awareness about the UK’s Modern Slavery Act and Canada’s Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act amongst IATA members, including SEAC members.

IATA’s activities

IATA supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry standards and policy on critical aviation issues.

IATA is involved in the provision of publications, training, consulting services, industry data products, as well as other services, to its members and other third parties in the aviation ecosystem. IATA also offers certain manuals, industry standards and other publications for sale.

IATA’s supply chains

As a trade association with offices and operations spanning the globe, the majority of IATA’s supply chain comprises procurement linked to the following services:

1. Office facilities and their management
2. Consulting and professional services
3. Information technology, data services and data processing
4. Industry events and publications

IATA’s risks

Although IATA has no reason to believe that there is a high risk of modern slavery and human trafficking, including forced and child labor, within the organization’s supply chain, IATA has policies and procedures in place that will be adapted and strengthened as necessary.

In coming to this conclusion, IATA’s management has considered the nature of its supply chain as described above. Based on several factors including the characteristics of the work and services provided, the geographic locations relevant to IATA’s work and services and engagement with its suppliers, IATA has concluded that its organization has a low risk of forced and child labor in its supply chain.

IATA’s People, Performance and Development (PPD) department has previously undertaken a review of its human resource policies and determined that additional anti-slavery provisions are not required. PPD will conduct periodic reviews to determine if there is a need in the future to strengthen IATA’s relevant human rights policies and procedures.

IATA’s work to combat slavery and human trafficking in the air transport sector

IATA is committed to leading the airline industry in playing its part to help combat modern slavery and human trafficking, including forced and child labor. IATA has adopted measures for its trade association activities and engaged in awareness raising within the broader airline industry to reduce and eliminate modern slavery.

IATA’s policies and practices

IATA’s Code of Conduct applies to all IATA employees and all subsidiaries, branches and affiliates, consultants, contractors, suppliers and business partners of IATA. Among other things, the Code of Conduct sets out IATA’s commitment to leading the industry in playing its part to help combat slavery and various forms of trafficking by raising awareness and urging law enforcement to provide clear, practical and anonymous mechanisms for reporting potential human trafficking situations, and to combat the illegal trade in wildlife.

IATA has incorporated anti-slavery clauses into its supplier contracts that will be used going forward to minimize the risk of slavery and human trafficking in its supply chain.

In addition to the above, at IATA’s 74th Annual General Meeting in Sydney in June 2018 IATA passed a resolution denouncing human trafficking. This resolution reaffirms airlines' commitment to supporting governments and law enforcement to prevent human trafficking through awareness raising, staff training and reporting of suspicious behavior.

IATA has also developed this position paper on human trafficking (pdf).

Industry awareness building

IATA has an ongoing campaign entitled #eyesopen, which is designed to raise awareness among passengers, airlines and governments, of the crime of human trafficking. Through a variety of materials, including an animated film that demonstrates how traffickers misuse aviation, the campaign is designed to show how aviation staff on the front-line can play their part in helping to combat human trafficking.

IATA is committed to leading the airline industry in playing its part to help combat modern slavery and human trafficking. In addition to working with our member airlines to increase staff and passenger awareness, IATA has called on governments and their enforcement agencies to provide clear, practical, and discrete mechanisms for airline staff so they can report potential trafficking situations.

To that end, IATA worked as part of a working group organized by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to develop Circular 357 “Guidelines for Reporting Trafficking in Persons by Flight and Cabin Crew” aimed at governments, civil aviation authorities and aviation stakeholders which was published in early 2021.

IATA is also a member of the newly formed ICAO Ad Hoc Working Group on Combatting Trafficking in Supply Chain (AHWG-TSP), an international, joint industry-regulatory group composed of experts from states, air operators and international organizations. The AHWG-TSP serves as an expert group, providing advice to ICAO assisting in the development of guidance material on combatting trafficking in persons in an air operator’s supply chain.

IATA contributed to the development of ICAO Doc.10171, A Comprehensive Strategy for Combatting Human Trafficking in the Aviation Sector. This enhances national counter-trafficking policies and procedure frameworks. It also equips governments, civil aviation authorities, airlines and airports with guidance and recommendations to inform the development of comprehensive counter‐trafficking strategies.

IATA is also working with airports and other stakeholders within the air transport sector to raise awareness on human trafficking and to share its guidance material, including its ‘recognize and report' practice.

Find out more about IATA's activities against Human Trafficking.

Training

IATA delivers training for all of its employees on a range of occupational health and safety, workplace, corporate governance and compliance issues. Given the low level of risk in its supply chain, training specific to modern slavery, including forced and child labor, was not implemented for the 2023 financial year. A specific training module on modern slavery is planned for implementation in the financial year commencing 2025. As part of the planned implementation, this training module will be compulsory for both existing and new employees. IATA intends to keep under review whether such training should be a recurrent requirement for existing employees. 

In addition to IATA’s own training programs, we have developed free of charge training and other materials for airline employees.

Remedial action

IATA is not aware of any forced or child labor in its supply chain. Therefore, it has not taken any remedial action within the 2023 financial year. More specifically, this means that IATA has not taken any remedial action relating to the loss of income among the most vulnerable families that may be impacted by a measure take to reduce or prevent forced or child labor in its supply chain.

Measuring the effectiveness of IATA’s policies

Beyond these described above, IATA had not taken other measures to review the effectiveness of its policies on forced and child labor in the 2023 financial year.

Approval and attestation (UK and Canada)

This statement is made pursuant to section 54 of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the Canadian Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act 2023 (S.C. 2023, c. 9) and has been approved by the IATA Board of Governors and endorsed by IATA's Director General.

This statement constitutes IATA’s slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 December 2023.

In accordance with the requirements of the Act, and in particular section 11 of Canadian Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act 2023 (S.C. 2023, c. 9), I attest that I have reviewed the information contained in the report for the entity or entities listed above. Based on my knowledge, and having exercised reasonable diligence, I attest that the information in the report is true, accurate and complete in all material respects for the purposes of the Act, for the reporting year listed above.

Willie Walsh
IATA's Director General
27 May 2024

I have the authority to bind the International Air Transport Association