Source: The Straits Times, 8 June 2006
Mr Chew has been appointed the head of the board of governors of the 261-member body that represents the bulk of the world's airlines.
The 29-member board includes the chiefs of major airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa and Japan Airlines.
Mr Chew, in an IATA statement announcing his appointment, said he looked forward to working with IATA director-general Giovanni Bisignani to "shout politely for greater efficiency from our partners and more commercial freedom from government".
Mr Bisignani had identified these concerns in his address at the IATA's 62nd annual general meeting in Paris on Monday.
He said IATA's operational safety audit was driving improvements in safety, with 189 member airlines now included in the audit process. The industry could not tolerate governments that do not take safety seriously, he said.
The industry was also on track to achieve US$6.5 billion (S$10.3 billion) in cost savings by simplifying the processes to make air transport more convenient, with more than 70 airlines implementing bar-coded boarding passes.
The biggest challenge remains achieving the 70 per cent target set this year for electronic ticketing, Mr Bisignani said. Nearly one in two tickets issued now are e-tickets.
Mr Chew succeeds Air Canada chairman Robert Milton.