by Bert Archer
Last updated: 10:20 AM ET, Thu February 27, 2025
The first day of IATA’s inaugural aviation data conference in Dublin was packed with data-driven insights from speakers representing Amazon, the FIA, and others.
Conference host Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton kicked things off with opening remarks, followed by IATA’s Chief Economist and Head of Sustainability, Marie Owens Thomsen, who laid out the comparative profit margins of various industries.
(Photo Credit: IATA)
It turns out, that with an average profitability of 2.8%, aviation lags well behind banking (30.9%) and even rail (a surprising 23.5%), though it still fares better than broadcasting (-1.4%). She projected that airlines will, on average, make a profit of $7 USD per passenger, with significant regional differences—$23.10 in the Middle East, just 90 cents in Africa, and $10.30 in North America.
Something to keep in mind next time we complain about airfares I guess. Though we should still definitely complain.
Thomsen also slipped in two striking data points: data centres worldwide account for 2.5% of global carbon emissions—exactly the same share as aviation. A nice fact to lob at the next person who says your what you do for a living is burning the world down.
And, with the help of a neat little chart, she made the case that if aviation innovation were funded at the same level as AI, the industry could be fully decarbonized by 2044. A nice dream, in graph form.
(Photo Credit: Bert Archer)
Next, CrowdStrike’s Chief Security Officer took the stage for a talk on “Building Cyber Resilience,” where he made only two passing references to what he called the “July events.” Then, Amazon CTO Dr. Werner Vogels presented a data-backed argument on the direct correlation between cost and carbon, showing that reducing one almost always leads to a drop in the other.
The day’s biggest surprise though came from Habib Turki, FIA’s Head of Development, representing the organization that governs F1, among other motorsports. He argued that racing has valuable lessons for aviation, particularly in the realms of biofuels and AI. He broadened the discussion by reframing both industries as being part of a single category he called “mobility.”
(Photo Credit: Bert Archer)
He also briefly mentioned the FIA’s Smart Driving Challenge, an app-based competition ranking drivers worldwide based on CO₂ emissions and safety, with the winner recognized alongside F1 champions at the FIA’s annual event. But his standout moment? Presenting the most unexpected slide of the day: Motorsport as a Model for Sustainable Innovation.
Stand by for day two, coming up next.
Topics From This Article to Explore
