Air France-KLM boss Alexandre de Juniac is to succeed Tony Tyler as director general and chief executive of Iata when he retires.
De Juniac, chairman and chief executive of the European carrier since 2013, will take up duties as the head of the association after a short handover period.
He has also held positions in the French government and aerospace company Thales.
The change of leadership at the airline trade body will be confirmed at the Iata annual meeting in Dublin on June 1-3.
Tyler said: “Alexandre will be a great leader for Iata. He knows the business well and brings valuable experience from both government and industry.
“I am sure that he will keep Iata close to its members and fully focused on delivering the value that they expect from their association.
“I can’t think of a better person to lead the Iata team and I look forward to handing over the job in a few months’ time.”
De Juniac said: “Tony Tyler has done a great job at the helm of Iata and I am excited to succeed him.
“Iata has a critical role to play in supporting the success of the aviation industry – leading advocacy, safeguarding the industry’s money, building the standards that underpin global connectivity and partnering with stakeholders and governments to drive important changes.
“I look forward to leading Iata as it supports safe, efficient and sustainable global connectivity.”
Andrés Conesa, chief executive of Aeromexico and chairman of the Iata board of governors, added: “Alexandre’s broad experience in aviation and government makes him the ideal candidate to take our association to even greater heights.”