NDC Technology for Corporate Air Travel in 2026

What Has Changed in Corporate Air Travel with NDC Implementation

Airlines are actively shifting to direct ticket sales through NDC channels, bypassing traditional global distribution systems. According to IATA data, by the end of 2025 more than 60% of content from major carriers became available only through NDC API. Lufthansa Group introduced fees for GDS bookings back in 2015, British Airways completely stopped selling corporate fares through Amadeus in 2023, American Airlines announced the withdrawal of part of its inventory from traditional channels starting January 2024.

Corporations face a paradox: travel managers see fewer options in familiar booking tools, while airline websites display offers with better terms. The price difference between a GDS fare and an NDC offer on the same route reaches 8-15% even in economy class.

Why Airlines Are Betting on NDC in 2026

New Distribution Capability technology allows carriers to transmit detailed service descriptions to corporate clients: not just "economy" or "business," but a precise list of included options, cabin photos, information about meals, baggage, seat selection possibilities. This level of detail is impossible in the outdated EDIFACT format that GDS systems use.

For airlines, NDC reduces distribution costs from $12-18 per segment in GDS to $2-4 with direct connection. Savings on millions of bookings per year are measured in hundreds of millions of dollars. Qatar Airways publicly stated that the NDC channel costs the carrier six times less than the traditional one.

Margin redistribution favours corporate clients: airlines are willing to share part of the saved funds through exclusive NDC fares unavailable in GDS. Emirates has been offering corporations NDC contracts with an additional 3-7% discount on top of standard corporate agreements since 2024.

What Exclusive Fares Are Available Only Through NDC

The first category is dynamic corporate offers. Airline algorithms analyse the booking history of a specific company, popular routes, seasonality and offer personalised prices. A company with 200 employees making 40 trips per month on the Moscow-Dubai route receives an automatic discount on this destination without signing a volume contract.

The second category is bundles with flexible conditions. NDC allows selling not just a ticket, but a package: flight + priority check-in + lounge access + extra baggage at a price lower than the sum of components separately. For a corporate travel manager, this means predictable expenses: the employee does not purchase services at inflated prices at the airport.

The third category is fares with deferred payment and flexible cancellation. Air France-KLM has been testing an NDC fare for corporations since 2025 that allows cancelling a booking 24 hours before departure without penalty. Such conditions are unavailable through GDS channels due to technical limitations of old protocols.

Practical Example: How an IT Company Reduced Costs by 11% in a Quarter

A Russian IT company with 350 staff and a monthly volume of 60 business trips switched to integrations with corporate systems supporting NDC in September 2025. Before the transition, the average ticket price for Moscow-Istanbul was 28,400 roubles through GDS.

After connecting an NDC aggregator, the company gained access to private Turkish Airlines fares at 25,100 roubles on the same route with similar refund conditions. On the popular Moscow-Tashkent route, savings reached 3,200 roubles per ticket thanks to a dynamic NDC offer from Uzbekistan Airways.

During the first quarter of operation, total savings reached 11.2% of the air travel budget. The finance director recorded a cost reduction of 847,000 roubles with the same number of business trips. An additional effect was reduced processing time for changes: through NDC API, booking modification takes 40 seconds instead of 8-12 minutes when working with GDS queues.

How to Access NDC Content: Three Working Scenarios

Scenario 1: Direct connection to airline API

Suitable for corporations with their own IT department and a volume of more than 500 tickets per year on one carrier. Lufthansa, Emirates, Qatar Airways provide documentation and a test environment free of charge. Integration development is required: from two months of backend developer work. The advantage is full control over the process and zero commissions to intermediaries. The disadvantage is the need for separate integration with each airline.

Scenario 2: Working through an NDC aggregator

Aggregators like Duffel, Travelport+, Amadeus NDC-X provide a single API for access to dozens of airlines. Connection takes 2-4 weeks. Aggregator commission is 1.5-3% of ticket cost or a fixed fee per transaction. This option is optimal for companies with a volume of 100-1,000 tickets per month that are not ready to maintain a staff of integration developers.

Scenario 3: TMC with certified NDC access

A corporate travel agency takes on all technical work. The travel manager continues using the familiar booking interface, the agency queries offers through NDC API in the background and displays them alongside GDS content. Additional charge for NDC booking at most TMCs is 200-500 roubles on top of the standard service commission.

Pitfalls of NDC Transition in 2026

Standard fragmentation remains a problem. IATA approved the NDC specification, but each airline implements it differently. A request that works with Emirates API will not suit Lufthansa without modification. Developers spend time adapting to each carrier.

Reporting and analytics require refinement. GDS provides unified reports for all bookings. NDC data arrives in different formats, and the travel manager needs a tool to consolidate information. Without automation, expense analysis turns into manual work with spreadsheets.

Employee training takes time. If a company gives workers the ability to book independently, the interface must correctly display NDC offers with detailed service descriptions. An employee accustomed to simple "economy/business" selection may be confused by a dozen fare options with different baggage and refund conditions.

What a Travel Manager Should Do Today: Step-by-Step Plan

Step 1: Audit current routes

Export booking statistics for the last six months. Identify the top 10 destinations by expense volume. Check which airlines on these routes already offer NDC fares. Focus on carriers with whom you have corporate agreements: they are more willing to provide exclusive NDC conditions to regular clients.

Step 2: Request commercial proposals

Contact your current TMC with a question about access to NDC content. Request a demonstration: let them show the real price difference between GDS and NDC on your routes. If the agency does not work with NDC, obtain proposals from two or three alternative TMCs with IATA NDC Level 3 or Level 4 certification.

Step 3: Pilot project on one route

Choose a route with a frequency of at least 10 trips per month. Transfer bookings to the NDC channel for three months. Record metrics: average ticket price, booking processing time, number of changes and refunds, employee satisfaction. Compare with indicators from the previous quarter on the same route.

Step 4: Scaling or adjustment

If the pilot showed savings of 5% or more without increased operational load, expand NDC bookings to other destinations. If savings are minimal or the process creates difficulties, reconsider the choice of technology partner or postpone full transition until tools improve.

Forecast for NDC Market Development Through the End of 2026

IATA forecasts that by December 2026 the share of NDC bookings in the corporate segment will reach 40% in Europe and 25% in the rest of the world. Airlines will continue withdrawing premium content from GDS: analysts at Atmosphere Research Group expect that by mid-2026 at least five major carriers will completely stop selling business class through traditional channels.

Technology platforms are investing in unification. The Open Aviation Data Management consortium is developing standardised data schemas to simplify integrations. If the initiative receives airline support, the entry barrier for corporations will decrease: one integration will open access to all consortium participants.

Regulators are discussing competition issues. The European Commission is examining whether abandoning GDS creates barriers for small TMCs and corporate clients. Requirements for equal content availability may be introduced, but there are no concrete decisions yet.

How NDC Changes Negotiations with Airlines

Corporate agreements with carriers have traditionally been built around volume discounts: a company guarantees a certain number of tickets per year, the airline provides a percentage discount from public fares. NDC allows transition to more flexible models.

Dynamic pricing replaces fixed discounts. Instead of "minus 7% from fare Y," the company receives an algorithmic model that considers flight load, time until departure, booking history. On popular dates the discount may be smaller, on low-load flights significantly higher than average.

Personalisation of conditions becomes the norm. The airline sees that 80% of your company's business trips fall on Tuesday and Wednesday. It offers an additional discount specifically on these days of the week, stimulating bookings during low-demand periods. Such targeted optimisation is impossible within traditional corporate contracts.

Integration of NDC with Expense Management Systems

Data from NDC API contains details that are difficult to obtain from GDS: exact check-in time, actual service class, list of additional services used. Transferring this information to the expense accounting system automates travel policy compliance control.

Example: company policy allows business class on flights longer than six hours. When booking through GDS, the travel manager sees only the fare code and manually checks compliance. NDC integration transmits flight duration to the approval system, and the request is automatically approved or rejected according to set rules.

Real-time mode accelerates processes. Booking changes through NDC API are reflected in the accounting system instantly, while updating data from GDS can take several hours. The financial controller sees an up-to-date expense picture without delays.

Data Security and Compliance Requirements

NDC connections require exchange of corporate data directly with airlines. The travel manager needs to ensure that API connections are protected by modern encryption protocols, and that storage of passenger personal data complies with GDPR and local information protection requirements.

When choosing an NDC aggregator or TMC, request information security documentation: presence of ISO 27001, SOC 2 certificates, results of independent audits. Clarify where booking data is physically stored and for how long, who has access to employee personal information.

The corporate contract must contain clear wording about liability for data leaks and the procedure for incident notification. Standard agreements with GDS have been refined over decades, NDC contracts do not yet have established wording, and the legal department will need time to review the terms.

FAQ

What is NDC technology in air transportation?

NDC (New Distribution Capability) is an IATA standard for direct data exchange between airlines and corporate clients through API. The technology allows carriers to offer detailed fares with service descriptions that are unavailable through traditional GDS systems. For corporations, this means access to exclusive prices and flexible booking conditions.

How much can you save by switching to NDC bookings?

Savings depend on route network and booking volume. Practice shows a cost reduction of 5-15% on popular destinations thanks to access to private fares. Companies with a volume of more than 100 tickets per month record average savings of 8-12% while maintaining service quality and refund conditions.

Do you need to change TMC to access NDC fares?

Not necessarily. Many corporate agencies have already received IATA NDC certification and provide access to new fares through existing booking tools. Check with your current TMC about the availability of NDC connections. If the agency does not work with the technology, consider alternative suppliers with confirmed Level 3 or Level 4 certification.

Which airlines offer exclusive NDC fares in 2026?

Lufthansa Group, British Airways, American Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air France-KLM, United Airlines are actively developing NDC channels and offer corporate clients fares unavailable through GDS. Turkish Airlines and Uzbekistan Airways have also launched NDC programmes with dynamic pricing for regular corporate customers.

How to start working with NDC without large IT investments?

The optimal path for companies without their own IT department is working through a certified TMC or NDC aggregator. Connection takes 2-4 weeks, does not require integration development and allows immediate access to dozens of airlines. Start with a pilot project on one or two routes, evaluate savings and scale with positive results.