Source: ALTA
The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) is committed to working for a more diverse and inclusive aviation and today reinforces this conviction with the affiliation of our CEO to the group of advocates in IAWA, the International Aviation Women’s Association.
José Ricardo Botelho, ALTA’s Executive Director & CEO, highlights: “I am honored to be an advocate at IAWA, an association with 33 years of work focused on promoting the achievements and impact of women in aviation and inspiring young women to join the industry. I am convinced that the near future of aviation is more diverse and much more creative, efficient and agile. From ALTA we will further strengthen ties with IAWA to continue developing joint projects that have an impact on Latin American and Caribbean aviation, that help us to attract more women to aviation, develop their careers and achieve even more inclusive work environments.”
“Our mission, to cultivate and advance women leaders in the aviation and aerospace industries through a global network, has never been more important than it is today. Through our advocate program we are building a more inclusive environment. We are delighted to have José Ricardo Botelho inspiring other men to show their support of women in the aviation industry. This is an important way to move forward in gender balance. Welcoming and promoting a diverse workforce fosters productivity and innovation, so is much needed recovering from this pandemic. Thanks to organizations like ALTA we are creating a lasting legacy for women”, comments Bobbi Wells, President of IAWA.
Botelho, who joined ALTA in June 2020 in the midst of the most challenging crisis for the airline industry, stresses that this has been a critical year in the transformation of this industry: “While we have faced unimaginable challenges and the socio-economic impact has been devastating, I look back with the certainty that the pandemic provided us with a valuable opportunity to expedite the development of our industry. So-called COVID agility has allowed us to move faster on complex tasks during this period and it is a learning experience that will remain after the crisis. Today we have a much safer/biosafe, more digitized, nimbler and even more people-focused air transport. On the human resources side, we have been given a chance to better understand our teams and to design strategies that will allow us to continue offering high-value work environments. These months of remote work showed us once again that there is no distinction in people based on gender, color, beliefs or preferences; but people committed to their teams to overcome challenges.
ALTA and IAWA have a history of joint work. Among the most recent activities, the delivery of financial support to the six students with the best academic performance in the careers of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Technician with a major in engines and airframe and Flight Dispatch Technician at Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP). As well working with SITA in the “Flying Higher” initiative, aiming to provide a space for networking, best practices and support to women in different roles within the air transport value chain.
ALTA and IAWA annually bring together industry decision-makers in Latin America and Caribbean during the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum to share best corporate practices and propose initiatives to attract, retain and promote more women in the industry. This year they will be gathered again in-person on October 26 in Bogota, Colombia. Click on http://www.altaairlineleaders.com/ for more information.