The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on airlines to turn advances in digitalisation across retailing, payments and digital identity into improved passenger experiences and greater financial resilience.
Speaking at the opening of the IATA World Financial
Symposium (WFS) and World Passenger Symposium (WPS) in Macao, Sandrine Le
Borgne, IATA Interim Director General, CFO and Senior Vice President, Corporate
Services, highlighted the need to maximise the benefits of emerging
technologies across the travel industry.
“Today, a traveler can use AI to plan a trip. They can pay
with a digital wallet and use biometrics for a more seamless journey at the
airport. The challenge now is realizing the value that these innovations can
create to make travel more efficient and improve financial resilience,” said Le
Borgne.
Preparing for the Marketplace of the Future
Artificial intelligence assistants and automated agents are
changing how travellers discover, compare and purchase travel. While this
creates new commercial opportunities for airlines, IATA said carriers must
retain control of their data and customer relationships while ensuring data
quality.
Modern Airline Retailing, based on the Offers and Orders
model, is central to this transition. Seven airlines are already live or
implementing Orders, with more than 20 expected to follow from 2027. Technology
providers have committed more than US$1.7 billion to Offers and Orders
development.
“Offers and Orders are the foundation; AI is the
accelerator. They need to move forward together as AI increasingly reshapes how
travel is discovered, sold, and serviced,” said Le Borgne.
Strengthening Financial Sustainability
IATA stressed that financial operations must be integrated
into digital transformation from the outset. Airlines spend more than US$24.5
billion annually processing payments, making the management of costs, cash flow
and risk increasingly important as new payment methods expand customer choice.
The association also highlighted the need to incorporate
reconciliation, settlement and revenue accounting into Offers and Orders
transformation, reducing operational complexity rather than simply digitising
existing processes.
Making Travel Easier Through Digital Identity
Biometrics are increasingly helping passengers move through
airports more quickly and seamlessly. However, IATA said the benefits remain
limited because many solutions are restricted to individual airports or
countries.
Governments have a critical role in expanding digital
identity for international travel. Standards for secure digital passports
already exist through the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Digital
Travel Credential, while more than eight in ten passengers have expressed
interest in using a digital passport for check-in. Wider adoption will depend
on governments issuing and accepting digital travel credentials.
China’s Digital Innovation Leadership
The 2026 WFS and WPS mark the first time the events have
been held in North Asia, highlighting the region’s role in digital innovation.
Chinese airlines carried more than 770 million passengers in 2025, setting a
record and creating further opportunities for growth.
“China’s leadership is not only about scale. It has also
been at the forefront of digital innovation, changing how people shop, pay, and
travel. As we learn from one another, we must keep our solutions connected. We
do this by having one set of global standards and evolving them as technology
advances. That is how we turn regional progress into a better experience for
passengers worldwide,” said Le Borgne.
IATA said continued investment in technology and globally aligned standards will be essential to making future air travel simpler, more efficient and sustainable. -TradeArabia News Service