Andrew Drysdale

Andrew Drysdale recently completed a six year contract as Regional Vice President Asia Pacific for the International Air Transport Association (IATA), based in Singapore. In this role Andrew oversaw all IATA operations in the region, covering aviation safety and security, government and regulatory affairs, industry technical operations, travel agency accreditation, the airline billing and settlement system and currency clearing house, as well as its training and consulting services. IATA’s commercial revenues in the region trebled during this period.

He recently participated in a study for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on liberalisation of air services in the region, coordinated the Royal Aeronautical Society’s response to the Australian government’s ‘White paper on Aviation’ and compiled a policy paper on ‘Aviation and the Environment’. He is currently working on a major aviation training project in India and lectures on aviation at the University of New South Wales.

Andrew started his career as an aircraft engineer, then established an aviation training school and went on to head the engineering and strategic planning divisions of Fiji’s national carrier Air Pacific. He served as their Chief Executive Officer for ten years and also held CEO positions at Blue Lagoon Cruises Ltd, tour wholesaler Tapa Tours, Australia’s Captain Cook Cruises and at Australian publicly listed Hazelton Airlines.

He served as Chairman of the Board at PATA, the Pacific Asia Travel Association and is a life member of the Association. He served on the Board of IATA, as Chairman of IATA’s Committee on Human Resources, as Chairman of the Association of South Pacific Airlines and as a Director of the Regional Airlines Association of Australia.

Andrew is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and completed the Advanced Management Program of Harvard Business School in 1986. He is currently the Executive Director of Mentor Aviation Services and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales.