logo
Kenya Airways goes live with NDC content in Amadeus

Kenya Airways goes live with NDC content in Amadeus

Zawya08-04-2025
Nairobi, Kenya: Kenya Airways (KQ) has started deploying its New Distribution Capability (NDC-sourced) content to travel seller customers in Kenya via the Amadeus Travel Platform. This follows KQ's decision to adopt Altéa NDC to effectively and consistently distribute and service new content and fares through an NDC connectivity across channels, enhancing its retailing capabilities.
The strong synergies between Altéa NDC and the Amadeus Travel Platform will enable faster and smoother implementation of the airline's NDC offers, reducing time to market and bring enhanced productivity to travel sellers. Amadeus-connected travel sellers will therefore be among the first to gain access to NDC content from one of the most progressive carriers in the region.
NDC (New Distribution Capability) is an IATA-developed XML-based data transmission standard that aims to modernize how airlines distribute and sell their products, offering airlines greater flexibility and control over their content and distribution channels. When fully implemented, travel sellers worldwide will have access to the entire Kenya Airways NDC content offering, allowing agents to build new and exciting travel offers.
Julius Thairu, Chief Commercial and Customer Officer, Kenya Airways noted, 'This is a significant milestone for Kenya Airways as we continue to innovate and enhance our travel retailing capabilities. Amadeus has been at the forefront of driving NDC adoption across the global travel ecosystem and was therefore the natural choice for this step on our distribution journey. We are very happy to be able to offer our full range of NDC content through Amadeus' leading technology and to its travel sellers' network.'
Christophe Roux, SVP Airlines, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Amadeus, further added that, 'Kenya Airways was among the first airlines in Africa to understand the value that NDC technology could offer for its customers, and it's a pleasure to help that retailing ambition come to life. We are very proud that Kenya Airways has trusted Amadeus end to end to enable its modern retailing strategy. With Kenya Airways' NDC content live on the Amadeus Travel Platform, the airline will benefit from significant reach throughout the global community of travel sellers, which again will have the ability to create the bespoke, personalized offers travelers of today expect.'
-Ends-
About Kenya Airways:
Kenya Airways (KQ), The Pride of Africa, is a leading African carrier on a mission to propel Africa's prosperity by connecting its people, cultures, and markets. We fly to 45 destinations worldwide, 37 of which are in Africa, connecting over 5 million passengers and over 70,000 Tons of cargo annually through our Hub at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
As the sole African carrier in the SkyTeam Alliance, we open up a world of possibilities for our customers, connecting them to over 1,060 destinations in 173 countries. We take pride in offering a delightful flying experience with a caring African touch. Our exceptional African hospitality has consistently earned us global recognition including the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards where we were honoured with the Best Airline Staff and Best Airline Cabin Crew in Africa in 2024. . In addition, we were ranked Top Employer of the Year by The Employers Institute and the Africa Leading Airline at the World Travel Awards 2024
For more information, visit www.kenya-airways.com or call our 24-hour Customer Services Desk at +254 20 327 4747. We are also available on Twitter: @KenyaAirways & @KQSupport, Facebook: @OfficialKenyaAirways, and Instagram: @OfficialKenyaAirways. For media enquiries, please contact Kenya Airways Corporate Communications: Corporate.communications@kenya-airways.com
About Amadeus:
Amadeus makes the experience of travel better for everyone, everywhere by inspiring innovation, partnerships and responsibility to people, places and planet.
Our technology powers the travel and tourism industry. Inspiring more open ways of working. More connected ways of thinking, centered around the traveler. Our open platform connects the global travel and hospitality ecosystem. From startups to big industry players and governments too. Together, transforming how travel works.
We are working to make travel a force for social and environmental good. A collective responsibility to protect and improve the people and places we visit, ensuring travel continues to make positive contribution to our world.
We apply innovation to meet new needs, to solve real challenges. Our truly diverse global workforce, made up of 150 nationalities, is passionate about travel and technology.
We are an IBEX 35 company, listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under AMS.MC. We have also been recognized by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the last 13 years.
Amadeus. It's how travel works better.
Learn more about Amadeus at www.amadeus.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Youtube, Snapchat.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Visa Opens First Data Centre in Johannesburg
Visa Opens First Data Centre in Johannesburg

Arabian Post

timea day ago

  • Arabian Post

Visa Opens First Data Centre in Johannesburg

Visa has officially opened its first data centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, marking a significant milestone in its expansion across the African continent. The new facility aims to support the growing demand for secure digital payments, a sector that has experienced rapid growth in the region. The move comes as Visa seeks to strengthen its presence in Africa, where it has long identified untapped potential. According to a statement from the company, the centre will enhance the company's ability to deliver secure, reliable, and scalable payment solutions to local businesses and consumers. This marks a crucial moment as Visa continues its investment in the continent's digital economy, which has seen notable advancements in mobile banking and e-commerce. Visa's expansion into Africa has been closely linked to the rise of digital and contactless payments. Data shows that more than 60% of face-to-face payments in South Africa are now made using contactless methods, a clear indicator of the shift towards digital transactions. The new data centre is expected to cater to the increasing demand for these kinds of payment solutions, offering robust data security and operational support. ADVERTISEMENT Johannesburg was chosen for the centre due to its status as a major financial hub in Southern Africa, making it an ideal location to serve both local and regional markets. The centre will provide services such as data storage, processing, and backup, ensuring that Visa's operations across Africa are well-supported and resilient. This move also reflects South Africa's growing position as a gateway for technological investment on the continent. Visa's decision to base the data centre in South Africa comes at a time when businesses across Africa are embracing digital transformation. More and more companies are adopting digital payment systems to enhance operational efficiency, improve consumer experience, and foster growth. This trend is particularly evident in South Africa, where fintech startups are thriving and traditional financial institutions are stepping up their efforts to modernise. The centre is expected to drive innovation within the payments sector. As demand for digital services rises, Visa aims to ensure that payment solutions are fast, secure, and seamless. The company has committed to leveraging its technology to support the digital economy, not just for large enterprises but for small businesses as well. By providing access to secure and affordable payment options, Visa hopes to foster inclusivity and financial literacy among South Africa's diverse population. Visa has long been a key player in South Africa's payments ecosystem, but its commitment to localised data storage and processing marks a shift towards more regionally focused solutions. While global companies have traditionally operated in Africa using international servers, Visa's decision to house critical infrastructure on the continent is a reflection of both the regulatory environment and the company's drive to be closer to its customers. One significant factor in Visa's decision to build a data centre in South Africa is the country's data protection laws. The Protection of Personal Information Act places strict guidelines on how companies handle the personal data of South African citizens. By ensuring that sensitive data is stored within the country's borders, Visa will be able to meet compliance requirements while also enhancing its offerings to clients. ADVERTISEMENT The timing of the centre's opening is also aligned with broader shifts within the global payments industry. The growing adoption of contactless payments, driven by consumer demand for convenience, has been accelerating worldwide. Visa's investment in Africa is timely, as the region is poised for significant growth in mobile money and digital banking. By enhancing its infrastructure, Visa is positioning itself as a leading provider of secure and efficient payment solutions in Africa. Visa's commitment to the continent is not limited to South Africa. The company has already made substantial investments in other African countries, aiming to improve financial inclusion and provide innovative payment solutions. These efforts are expected to provide a wide range of benefits to the African economy, especially as countries look to grow their digital and mobile sectors. The launch of the Johannesburg data centre is a major step in Visa's strategic plan for Africa, aimed at expanding its services to new markets while addressing the growing demand for secure, reliable, and efficient payment systems. Visa has reiterated its commitment to continuing to invest in Africa and further strengthening its position as a leader in the payments industry.

South Africa: Airbus opens new support hub in Johannesburg
South Africa: Airbus opens new support hub in Johannesburg

Zawya

time2 days ago

  • Zawya

South Africa: Airbus opens new support hub in Johannesburg

Airbus has opened a new customer support centre for commercial aircraft in Johannesburg, reinforcing its long-standing partnership with Africa's aviation sector. The centre marks a key milestone in the company's nearly 50-year presence on the continent. The Johannesburg facility will offer technical assistance, engineering and maintenance solutions, fleet performance analysis, training services, and on-site support for all Airbus commercial aircraft families, including the A220, A320, A330, and A350. 'The new centre expands Airbus' presence in Africa and underscores our confidence in the region's potential, as we invest in local capabilities, empower our customers, drive connectivity and shared progress across the continent,' said Gabriel Semelas, president of Airbus in the Middle East and Africa. Supporting African airline operations By strengthening customer proximity, the new centre is designed to help African airlines operate safe, efficient, and reliable fleets. Airbus currently serves nearly 40 African carriers operating more than 260 Airbus aircraft. According to the company's Global Services Forecast, Africa will require 14,000 new pilots and 21,000 maintenance professionals over the next 20 years to support projected growth in air travel demand. Broader presence across the continent Airbus has been active in Africa since the first A300 aircraft delivery in 1976. Its broader African footprint includes Airbus Helicopters, which this year marks 30 years of operations in Southern Africa, where its Midrand hub provides maintenance, spare parts, and the continent's first H125 virtual reality simulator for pilot training. Airbus Defence and Space also provides support to African governments through military aircraft, Earth observation services, and satellite-based connectivity. With more than 180 African suppliers integrated into its global supply chain, Airbus contributes to local job creation, skills development, and industrial growth across the continent. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (

Africa food systems not on track, time for decisive action
Africa food systems not on track, time for decisive action

Zawya

time2 days ago

  • Zawya

Africa food systems not on track, time for decisive action

As the world assembles for the UN Food Systems Summit in Addis Ababa this week, we confront a simple but profound invitation not merely to reflect on four years of progress since 2021, but to fundamentally rethink how we finance, produce, and govern agri-food systems. This is because, from the intensive discussions on nutrition in Paris during the Nutrition for Growth Summit in March to the recent International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville, and now, the sobering data of the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, the message is unmistakable: we must change and the time for change is now. The SOFI 2025 report offers both warning and nuance. While hunger receded in Southern Asia and Latin America, food insecurity worsened in both rural and urban Africa between 2022 and 2024. The global gender gap in food insecurity narrowed from 2021 to 2023 only to widen again in 2024, leaving women disproportionately exposed to malnutrition. Conflict, climate volatility, and post-Covid inflation have combined to erode hard-won gains, casting a long shadow over our pursuit of SDG 2 – ending hunger. These mixed signals demand clarity: Africa is not on track, and without decisive action, vulnerability will deepen across the continent. In light of these challenges, we must continue making the case for agri-food systems. What does this actually mean? To me, it means calling for courage from donors, multilateral lenders, and investors to rethink risk, unlock catalytic capital, and shift away from short-term projects towards long-term, systemic financing. It means embracing unconventional tools like concessional finance, blended models, pay-for-results frameworks, and payments for ecosystem service (PES), among other novel ideas. It also means financing food systems through cross-sector channels, including health, climate, and social protection because food systems are not a silo, but the very infrastructure of resilience. Most crucially, it means putting farmers and food producers, especially young people, at the centre of the conversation. I am convinced that agri-food systems must become an active driver of our food security and nutrition sufficiency transformation, not a passive recipient of aid. If centred in policy and resourced effectively, it will catalyse economic growth, unlock livelihood improvements, and simultaneously deliver on climate and nutrition goals. It is where climate action meets healthy diets, where dignified employment meets rural renewal, and where innovation meets inclusion for women and youth. In Africa, this synergy is not a distant aspiration, it is an imperative for survival and prosperity. At AGRA, with our two decades experience co-designing African solutions to sustainably raise farmers' productivity and connecting them to a growing marketplace, we continuously embrace what has worked while evolving new ideas. Our work with researchers, donors, African governments, the private sector and civil society has seen small and medium enterprises thrive, digital and nature-based solutions scaled, and tangible results realised through increased smallholder productivity, reduction in post-harvest, and emergence of new market opportunities. For example, AGRA has facilitated 42 policy reforms across 11 focus countries thereby reducing approval times from between eight to 10 years to between three to five years. In Tanzania, 2017 fertiliser regulations centralised oversight, increasing trade by 47 percent and reducing prices by between 10 percent and 40 per cent. AGRA supported 10 National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs) and 10 flagship programmes, mobilising $1.4 billion, including $400 million from governments. In Kenya, the 2019 Seed Act expanded certified seed access for 2.5 million farmers. These policy reforms unlocked $1.5 billion in public budgets. Ethiopia's extension system trained 70,000 agents, serving 15 million farmers, while Nigeria's revived state councils secured $5 million in investments. But too often, these successes cannot be scaled, sustained or replicated across countries not for lack of innovation, but financing. Regrettably, as we seek to accelerate progress, finance is unwinding in the opposite direction. Official development assistance from G7 donors has fallen by nearly 28 percent since 2021, while debt burdens in low- and middle-income countries have surged, constraining fiscal space for essential investments. Globally, it will take $1.2 trillion to $1.4 trillion a year to transform global agri-food systems, just one percent of global GDP. This is a fraction of the $12 trillion we're already losing annually to the hidden costs of poor health, environmental degradation, and inequality. The case for action is clear: responsible investment could unlock $4.5 trillion in new business opportunities each year. These estimates, captured in the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development's 2025 White Paper on Financing Agri-food Systems, a process to which AGRA is proud to have contributed, reminds us that the issue isn't a shortage of capital, but whether we choose to deploy it where it matters most. Ultimately, if stakeholders are serious about transforming Africa's agri-food systems, they must also get serious about financing her people and harness their creativity. The question before us in Addis Ababa is clear: will we seize this moment to mobilise the capital, creativity, and courage required to build the food systems that Africa and the world urgently needs?Alice Ruhweza is President of AGRA, an African-led organisation focused on putting farmers at the centre of our continent's growing economy. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store