The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the winners of the annual IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards on 2 June 2025. Sponsored by Qatar Airways, these awards recognise individuals and organisations for their significant contributions to promoting the aviation industry.
Winners Of IATA Awards Announced
Inspirational Role Model: Claudia Zapata-Cardone
The first winner of the IATA Awards was Claudia Zapata-Cardone, President of the Latin Professionals in Aerospace (LPA), who received the Inspirational Role Model award. She is the daughter of a Latino immigrant to the United States. Apart from being a volunteer advocate, she also works to break barriers and open doors of opportunity for underrepresented communities in aviation. As President of LPA, she has turned every vision into action by expanding scholarships, increasing female membership, and launching significant programmes across the United States and Latin America.
High Flyer: Katherine Moloney
Katherine Moloney, founder of Elevate (her) Aviation, won the High Flyer award. She created Elevate (her) Aviation to build a global community and increase the number of women in aviation. She has supported many women to become pilots, engineers, and air traffic controllers through her work. Her programme offers free access to events and resources, along with lifetime membership to Elevate (her), through partnerships with British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Avincis, Draken, Cirrus, Skyborne, Tecbam, and UK NATS. These affiliations ensure global access to the group’s benefits and allow outreach to schools and colleges. Elevate (her) Aviation has grown to thousands of members across 63 countries in just one year.
Diversity And Inclusion Team: Air Canada
Air Canada won the Diversity and Inclusion Team award through its CARE model. CARE stands for Community Outreach, Accountability, Representation, Engagement and Belonging. Air Canada is setting a high standard for inclusive aviation. Its AC Spark (for 5 to 17-year-olds) and AC Take Off (for 17 to 25-year-olds) programmes have been successful with underrepresented youth across Canada. These programmes provide mentorship, scholarships, and opportunities for aviation careers for students in schools and colleges.
Inclusion: A Strategic Advantage
This was the seventh year of the IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards. Speaking about the awards, Karen Walker, Editor-in-Chief of Air Transport World and Chair of the judging panel, said, “Diversity and inclusion are strategic for aviation as the industry’s growth is contingent upon attracting a strong talent pool with a wide variety of skills. Congratulations go to this year’s awardees, who have all excelled at creating the potential for any individual to have a great career in aviation, an industry that is a powerful force for social and economic prosperity. Their achievements are examples for others to follow.”
Adding to this, Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said, “As we mark the seventh year of the IATA Diversity and Inclusion Awards, they continue to play a pivotal role in making aviation a more inclusive and representative industry that supports innovation, enhances decision making, and strengthens customer engagement. These awards highlight how inclusion is not just the right thing to do, it’s also a strategic advantage. I commend all the nominees, and especially the winners.”
Winners Receive Prize Worth $25,000
The IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards were sponsored by Qatar Airways. Winners receive a prize of $25,000, which can be paid either to them or to their nominated charities. Commenting on this, Engr. Bade Mohammed Al Meer, Qatar Airways Group CEO, said, “It is affirming to witness our industry blooming on the tenets of diversity and inclusion, thus ensuring the longevity of the sector. Today’s announcement represents the great work of these aviation leaders in bringing forth innovation in varied facets of aviation. Congratulations to all the winners for exemplifying excellence and being the benchmark of thoughtful change in the industry.”
The 2025 IATA Diversity and Inclusion Awards were presented during the World Air Transport Summit (WATS), which followed the 81st IATA Annual General Meeting in New Delhi, India. The winners were deserving of their efforts in the aviation industry.
Cover Image Courtesy: IATA/ X
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