IATA World Legal Symposium: Beyond the Chicago Convention

23 January 2025 (Geneva) – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the 2025 edition of the World Legal Symposium (WLS) will examine the legal implications of evolving forces shaping aviation, many of which were not envisioned in the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) signed in 1944. These include the use of artificial intelligence (AI), alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods, cybersecurity, and the proliferation of privacy and consumer protection regulations.

‘’Having just marked the 80^th anniversary of aviation’s foundational document, the Chicago Convention, it’s appropriate for the aviation legal community to review how it has withstood the test of time. Over that time, aviation has evolved into a safe, global mass transportation system on which over five billion passengers will rely in 2025. That speaks volumes about the importance of effective global standards which underpinned this growth and transformation.

It also raises questions. How will the Convention and its system of annexes guide us in the face of new forces shaping aviation like AI, ADR mechanisms, the proliferation of regulation around privacy and consumer protection, and the continuously metastasizing threat of cybersecurity? And can it keep pace with changes that are taking place? This year’s WLS will take a critical look beyond the Chicago Convention to the new and the unresolved,” said Leslie MacIntosh, IATA’s Corporate Secretary and Acting General Counsel.

The 2025 WLS will take place in Shanghai, China on 18-20 February, hosted by China Eastern Airlines. It is the second time the WLS is hosted in Shanghai, with the first in 2012.

“Shanghai is a particularly significant location to host the IATA WLS.  A decade ago, IATA supported the establishment of the Shanghai International Aviation Court of Arbitration (SHIAC), the first of its kind in China. Moreover, it has grown into a major aviation hub serving nearly 300 destinations. The impressive developments in Shanghai will serve as an important reminder of the Chicago Convention’s relevance as our industry faces the challenges to provide safe, sustainable, and reliable air transport to people and economies that are eager to connect”, MacIntosh added.

Speakers and Sessions

The sessions will address topics such as the contract of carriage in passenger and cargo operations, data privacy and regulatory activity on cybersecurity, AI, competition, environmental sustainability, and economic regulation, among others.

The speakers participating in the WLS include:

·         Alice Braga, Chair, ICAO Legal Committee

·         Clara De Castro, SVP-Legal, Philippine Airlines

·         Elias Corona, Data Protection Officer, Cathay Pacific

·         Elizabeth Hichens, Head of Regulatory, Competition & Litigation, British Airways plc

·         Jeremy Moreton, Head of Legal-GBS, International Airlines Group

·         Jiefang Huang, Zhou Gengsheng Chair Professor, Wuhan University

·         Jinsong Li, Vice President, Travelsky Technology Limited

·         Juan Carlos Mencio, VP Legal Affairs & Compliance, LATAM Airlines Group

·         Katie Caplan, Managing Counsel – Alliances, United Airlines

·         Michael Gill, Director, Legal Affairs & External Relations Bureau, ICAO

·         Sophie Hayashi, Managing Director and Assistant General Counsel, A4A

·         Weijun Wang, General Secretary, Shanghai International Arbitration Center