The question is actually broader and has to do with a role that has been playing since its foundation in 1949, i.e. that of creating global standards and shared communication structures for the air transport industry. In fact, some of the SITA's first discussions regarding industry standards resulted in the agreement between ICAO, IATA and SITA on the use of agreed standards for message content and protocols, and the implementation of industry codes, identifiers and designators.