Rio de Janeiro – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the winners of the annual IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards:
- Inspirational Role Model: Rania Alturki, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Saudia Group
- High Flyer: Fiona Omondi, Chief Strategy Officer, Tradewinds Aviation Services and Co-Founder, Women in Aviation International, Kenya
- Diversity & Inclusion Team: LATAM Airlines Group
“Diversity and inclusion give opportunities for the broadest of talent pools to build long-term, sustainable careers. Moreover, it brings airlines even closer to the diverse communities they connect to global networks. Congratulations to the winners of this year’s awards. They demonstrate the many ways that the aviation industry is growing stronger by advancing diversity and inclusion best practices,” said Karen Walker, Editor-in-Chief, Air Transport World and Chair of the judging panel.
“Aviation competes for talent. In that context, the IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards inspire the industry with great examples of the many initiatives underway. They are a strong signal to anyone considering working in our amazing industry that there are opportunities without boundaries for all to build rewarding careers in aviation. It is particularly encouraging to see the growing number of women in roles in the cockpit, on the ground in maintenance and engineering roles and in the CEO’s office. There is still much more progress to make, but it’s important to pause and recognize the changes that are happening and those that are leading the charge. Congratulations to all those nominated for the Awards and, of course, the winners,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
The IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards are generously sponsored by Qatar Airways. Through their support, each winner receives a prize of $25,000, payable either to themselves or their nominated charities.
The 2026 IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards were presented during the World Air Transport Summit (WATS), which followed the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Winner Profiles
- Inspirational Role Model: Rania Alturki, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Saudia Group
Rania joined Saudia Group as the airline’s first female executive with one clear ambition – to create opportunities for female pilots and cabin crew members as well as integrate women into engineering and technical roles in an environment that for years remained closed for women.
Under Rania’s leadership the group underwent a remarkable transformation journey with women now representing approximately 25% of the Saudia Group workforce, playing a key role in supporting the Group’s growth, innovation, and transformation. In addition, 56% of cabin crew members are now women and 34% of all new hires in 2025 were women, an increase of 11% compared to the year before. Importantly, more than 36 women now serve in different leadership positions across the Group.
In addition, the launch of the Female First Officers Initiative helped create new pathways for women to pursue and advance careers as commercial pilots. Through Group’s first Female Technicians program, now more than 280 women serve in technical and engineering roles while the SOAR Future Leaders Program helped establish a self-sustaining pipeline of female talent in an environment that for years had been male dominated, with women now representing 65% of all participants.
- High Flyer: Fiona Omondi, Chief Strategy Officer, Tradewinds Aviation Services and Co-Founder, Women in Aviation International, Kenya
Fiona is a trailblazer of the aviation industry in Africa who has co-founded Women in Aviation International Kenya with the aim of raising awareness of aviation careers and of supporting aspiring professionals through mentorship and outreach initiatives.
Fiona was also instrumental in establishing the Tradewinds Training Academy, which provides access to globally recognized aviation training and focuses on supporting students in building the skills needed to enter the industry.
These efforts have helped make aviation career pathways more top of mind for young people across the region, which in return has contributed to developing a more diverse talent pipeline.
- Diversity & Inclusion Team: LATAM Airlines Group
The efforts of LATAM Airlines Group and its affiliates focused on increasing the number of female maintenance technicians which in just four years rose from 111 in 2021 to 539 by December 2025 and have continued to grow throughout the group.
Through a concerted effort of senior leaders, HR, Maintenance, Branding, External Affairs, and Legal team members across Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, LATAM Airlines Group built a regional talent pipeline using scholarship programs, an in-house AMT school and alliances with educational institutions, internship programs and on-the-job training opportunities. These efforts were supplemented by the ‘Women Who Touch the Clouds’ (Mujeres que tocan las nubes in Spanish) campaign focusing on raising the profiles of those women at LATAM Airlines Group who dedicate their lives to building a more equitable world.
LATAM Airlines Group has dismantled gender stereotypes in technical roles and strengthened its workforce by expanding access to skilled talent in such a key area for the industry. This demonstrates how inclusion can directly support business resilience and long-term growth.
> Learn more about the IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards
