Flybe chief executive Christine Ourmières-Widener was today appointed to the Iata board of governors.
She is the only woman on the 31-member body which heads the trade association that represents some 290 airlines.
Ourmières-Widener is a former vice-president and current board member of the European Regions Airline Association.
She was initially elected to the Iata board in an interim move in April 2017 when TAP Air Portugal chief executive Fernando Pinto stood down.
She said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been elected and look forward with great enthusiasm to contributing to the important work that Iata does for the industry.
“I am, of course, also passionate about diversity and so am privileged to bring this dimension to the board.”
Her career in the industry spans 30 years, starting as an engineer in Air France in 1988 before progressing to become the airline’s UK and Ireland general manager and ultimately a vice president based in New York.
After leaving Air France she was appointed chief executive of CityJet between 2010 and 2015 leading a turnaround of the airline under new investors.
She worked as chief global sales officer for American Express Global Business Travel for two years before joining Flybe in January 2017 to lead the regional carrier through a turnaround following several years of low profitability.