Pegasus Airlines’ CEO, Güliz Öztürk, has been awarded the Inspirational Role Model Award at the IATA Diversity and Inclusion Awards 2022, in recognition of her work on gender equality within the airline.

The award was presented by IATA’s director general Willie Walsh and Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker. The Diversity and Inclusion Awards were held as part of the 78th IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit that took place in Doha, from 19th through 21st June.

IATA D&I awards (1)
The award was presented to Güliz Öztürk by IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh and Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker. Photo: IATA

Güliz Öztürk, who took over the reins of Pegasus Airlines in May this year, becoming the airline’s first female CEO, said,

"It is a great honour to receive such a significant and special award. As Pegasus Airlines, we are a company that places great importance on diversity and inclusion. We have been at the centre of the struggle for gender equality in particular for many years and have been carrying out a lot of work in this field. We are proud of the fact that our female employees have made their mark in every field in our company from pilots to senior management."

In her previous role of chief commercial officer at Pegasus Airlines, Öztürk championed numerous diversity and inclusion initiatives. She is also the co-chair of the airline’s Women in Sales Network, a company-wide program to improve gender balance in its commercial departments.

Diversity and inclusion at Pegasus Airlines

Pegasus Airlines has pioneered in the area of diversity and inclusion for many years. The airline was the first in the world to join the UN Women's Empowerment Principles platform, and is also a member of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Commission for Development of Gender Balance.

Pegasus A321
Photo: Pegasus Airlines

As one of the first airlines to sign up to IATA’s 25 by 2025 initiative, Pegasus Airlines is one of a growing number of carriers worldwide working towards greater female representation in the industry. The airline has already achieved its goal of females making up at least 25 % of its total workforce. As of December 2021, this figure stood at 32.9 %, and is likely to further increase thanks to the work of Öztürk and her team.

Find out more about the 20 by 2025 initiative here.

The airline is now working towards increasing female representation and leadership in senior management. As a way of demonstrating its commitment to gender equality, Pegasus Airlines is continuing its tradition of naming new aircraft joining its fleet after the daughters of its employees.

Reflecting on her achievements and the work ahead, Öztürk went on to say,

"We will make every effort, institutionally and individually, to contribute to the equal participation of all individuals, regardless of gender, in all areas of social life and to enable women to express their full potential, and we will continue to work with all our strength with the aim of achieving a more equal future."

airBaltic - leading the way for diversity and inclusion

Another winner at the IATA awards was airBaltic, with the Latvian carrier receiving the award for Diversity and Inclusion Team. Diversity and inclusion has become a key priority for airBaltic, with the carrier implementing a strict anti-discrimination policy, and with 45 % of the airline’s top management roles being filled by women. This figure is significantly higher than the industry’s average.

airBaltic Cargo A220
airBaltic were also winners at the IATA Diversity and Inclusion Awards 2022. Photo: airBaltic

Speaking about the outlook for the coming years, IATA’s director general, Willie Walsh, commented,

“Change will not happen overnight, but with the efforts of those being awarded today and many others across the industry, I am confident that the face of aviation’s senior management will look very different in the next years.”

In 2018, only two out of 100 CEOs at the world’s top carriers were women. Today that figure stands at almost nine. While the statistics show that impressive progress has been made so far, there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve true equality.

Do you think Pegasus Airlines’ CEO Güliz Öztürk is a worthy winner of IATA’s Inspirational Role Model Award? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

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