Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines CEO was elected on Wednesday as the new chair of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Board of Governors.

According to a statement from the carrier, Mehmet Tevfik Nane will commence his one-year term at the 78th Annual General Assembly to be held in June 2022 and will be IATA's first Turkish chair.

Nane will also become a member of the IATA's chair committee for three terms, it added.

"As IATA, which today represents 82% of total air traffic, equating to 290 member airlines from 120 countries, the biggest task ahead of us is to work so that our industry, which is a driving force of world economies, returns to pre-pandemic levels as soon as possible and continues its sustainable growth," Nane said.

IATA’s current head of Board of Governors Robin Hayes, CEO of JetBlue, began his duties at the conclusion of IATA’s 76th annual general meeting (AGM) in November 2020. Hayes’ mandate was extended beyond the normal one-year (AGM to AGM) cycle, due to interruptions in the cycle of governance meetings as a result of the pandemic.