Air India taps Amadeus to enhance travel experience

Tata Group-backed Air India announced on Monday that it has deepened partnership with Amadeus, a Spanish multinational company that provides software solutions for the global travel and tourism industry, to enhance travel choices and experiences for passengers in India and worldwide.

The deal that builds on an existing agreement to distribute international content will also integrate Air India's NDC content into the Amadeus Travel Platform, making it available to travel sellers in 2024.

This will provide the travel industry community with more choice, flexibility, and retailing options. With NDC technology, Air India can enhance the shopping experience for travelers by offering richer content and better upselling of its branded and ancillary products. 

Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial & Transformation Officer at Air India, said, "India is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets globally, and its rapidly developing economy is creating more travel opportunities for people than ever before. At Air India, we are undergoing a comprehensive transformation program to elevate the Air India experience for our guests. This includes new aircraft, products and services, an expanding global route network, and new technology. Through various platforms, Air India will be able to showcase its products globally, access new markets, and grow its customer base. Our partnership with Amadeus is a crucial part of this process, and we are thrilled to expand the scope of our partnership today." 

Javier Laforgue, Executive Vice President, Travel Unit & Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Amadeus, comments, "This is an exciting time for Air India, and we are thrilled to be a part of it. With this strengthened partnership, we will be able to distribute the carrier's complete offering to the largest community of travel sellers in the world. This is a significant milestone in our distribution strategy and retailing journey with the airline. India is a crucial market for Amadeus, and we look forward to continuing our close collaboration with the nation's flag-carrier." 

Following its acquisition by Tata Group, Air India has launched Vihaan.AI, a historic transformation program to overhaul its operations, products, and services. The program has a five-year roadmap to significantly increase its market share. The carrier has placed record orders for 470 new narrowbody and widebody aircraft and is committed to completely refurbishing its existing fleet of widebody aircraft. Additionally, a new global brand identity was recently revealed. 

This enhanced partnership follows an earlier agreement signed in 2022, where Air India adopted the full Amadeus Altéa Passenger Service System Suite (PSS) to power its customer interfaces.