New Delhi, June 6 -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that leaders of the global aviation industry are gathering in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS) till Monday.

According to an official release, the last AGM to be held in South America was in 1999, also in Rio de Janeiro. This marked the formal introduction of the World Air Transport Summit format, recognising the IATA AGM as the leading industry platform for high-level debate on critical issues surrounding aviation.

LATAM Airlines Group is the host airline of the event, in which some 1,500 industry leaders, government officials, and media are expected to participate.

"We are thrill...