South African Airways’ Chief Executive Officer Siza Mzimela has been elected to the board of directors of prestigious International Air Travel Association (IATA) at its meeting in Singapore this week.

According to SAA’s Head of Australasia, Thevan Krishna, Siza is the first woman elected to the board in its 67 year history and has been appointed to serve for two years.

“This is an excellent appointment both for Siza and for SAA,” Thevan said.

“Since joining the airline last year Siza has overseen a real revival for SAA, overseeing the introduction of new international and African routes, strengthening our customer service and product offer as well as enhancing our capacity into growing destinations,” he said.

“Siza’s appointment to IATA also recognises Africa’s increasing significance as a destination for tourist and business passengers, including from Australia where we saw a 30% increase in passenger numbers in our last financial year.”