The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the appointment of Sheldon Hee as its new Regional Vice President for the Asia-Pacific region, effective June 1, 2025. Based in Singapore, Hee will lead IATA’s activities in a region that covers 39 countries and is home to 53 IATA member airlines.
Hee brings over 25 years of extensive experience in the airline industry, having held various management roles at Singapore Airlines in Singapore, Japan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Prior to joining IATA, he served as the airline’s Vice President for Partnerships and International Relations.
“Having spent my professional life in an airline, I am humbled and privileged to continue contributing at an industry level by leading IATA’s activities in Asia-Pacific,” said Hee. “The region is vast and diverse, with states at different stages of aviation development. I see significant opportunity for the stakeholders across the region to work together to achieve the region’s potential. Together with the well-established IATA team, I look forward to working with our member airlines, governments and partners across the region to support the safe, efficient, and sustainable growth of an industry that is a catalyst for economic and social development.”
The Asia-Pacific region is projected to experience the fastest-growing passenger demand in the next 20 years. In 2024, it accounted for a third of global passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), and is expected to contribute more than half of global passenger traffic in the following two decades.
Hee holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Master of Science from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Oxford.
