The International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Giovanni Bisignani will step down from his role as Director General mid-2011, giving him less than a year to set the stage for his Vision 2050 legacy.

Renowned for his inability to mince words, Mr Bisignani has been described by media as the scourge of airports and has been equally credited and criticised for his strong views on the survival and growth of global aviation.

Mr Bisignani accepted praise for significantly raising the profile of IATA at Australia's National Aviation Press Club last week, referring to IATA as his baby and one he would only leave in "very good hands".

"I think IATA has achieved a strong relevance in the international arena," he said.

"You're relevant if you are able to understand the needs of your members, can anticipate changes and create a leadership role to make change happen."

Speaking of the launch of IATA's Vision 2050, Mr Bisignani said it was crucial to "build a future for aviation buffered against these shocks [that the aviation industry has recently faced]...so that we can provide our customers with the service that is critical to modern life."

Vision 2050 is based on four cornerstones of change: customer needs, profitability, infrastructure and the environment such that 2050 will be a time of profits of USD100 billion on revenues of USD1 trillion, with few accidents and half the current carbon use.

Mr Bisignani joined IATA as the Director General and Chief Executive in the wake of the 09/11 terrorist attacks and told reporters that his first task at the Association was to "be the fireman" putting out the fires of an "industry in pieces". Some memorable Bisignani quotes:

"We are still not very sexy." - Mr Bisignani on the costly financial effect of the recent downturn to aviation's profile

"If one of the partners in a partnership is losing his shirt while the other is counting his money, it is no longer a partnership." - Bisignani on the disparity between airports and airlines

 "Paper costs money...you do not need to be a rocket scientist to understand that up to $3 billion in savings are possible." - Mr Bisignani on a paper-free global aviation future