IATA cargo chief Hughes takes buyout amid downsizing

Glyn Hughes, IATA's global head of cargo, speaking in 2015 at a conference. (Photo: Flickr/International Transport Forum)

The top cargo official at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) will exit early next year as part of a restructuring to reduce costs amid a global pandemic that has wrecked the finances of member airlines.

IATA confirmed that Glyn Hughes, the global head of cargo, and Gordon Wright, in charge of cargo border management, have accepted voluntary separation packages and will depart at the end of January.

“During this time there will be no change in the support, advice and services IATA provides while we work to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities following their departures,” IATA said in a statement provided to FreightWaves. 

As previously reported, IATA is cutting a fifth of its staff due to the economic effects of the coronavirus on the aviation industry. The group has also asked senior managers to take pay cuts and reduce other operating expenses. 

Hughes has led IATA’s cargo programs since mid-2014, acting as a resource for airlines and as an intermediary on regulatory issues with government regulators around the world. He is currently active in helping the industry deal with government travel and border restrictions that impede cargo flights and prepare for the logistics challenge of safely delivering sensitive COVID-19 vaccines on an expedited basis.

The Loadstar, a logistics publication based in the U.K., was first to write about Hughes’ departure

Click here for more FreightWaves and American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com