| Walter Cho, chairman and CEO of Korean Air |
By Lee Hyo-sik
Walter Cho, chairman and CEO of Korean Air, has won the excellence in leadership award courtesy of Air Transport World (ATW), Korea's largest flagship carrier said Wednesday.
Launched in 1974, the ATW awards are the most coveted honors that carriers and top executives can receive. This year's 49th award ceremony will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 2.
"Since taking the helm at Korean Air in 2019, Walter Cho has rapidly gained a worldwide reputation for his industry vision and dynamic management. His nimble and out-of-the-box thinking, particularly when it comes to partnerships with other carriers and its cargo business, has made the firm stronger than ever through the most difficult times of the pandemic," ATW said in a statement. "As chair of the SkyTeam global alliance board and a member of the IATA board of governors, Cho has emerged as an excellent leader at Korean air and across the industry."
Cho's leadership and crisis management have been widely recognized over the course of the pandemic, as he successfully navigated the COVID-19 crisis and led the airline to attain record-high profits both in 2021 and 2022, the organization said.
Amid many uncertainties during COVID-19, Cho made the bold and historic decision to acquire Asiana Airlines, the biggest deal in the aviation industry during the pandemic, according to company officials. Once the acquisition is complete, Korean Air will become one of the world's top 10 airlines.
"The unprecedented pandemic crisis has proven the importance of connectivity, our industry's core value. The entire Korean Air team, along with our partners, combined our efforts to maintain connectivity for both passengers and cargo, even when strict border controls were in place. I genuinely appreciate ATW's recognition of our efforts and I am humbled to receive the award on behalf of everyone at Korean Air," Cho said in a statement.?"I trust the year 2023 will be dynamic and exciting for all of us, and Korean Air will adapt to changes and provide reliable services to our customers and partners, and keep evolving."