Aeroflot, Aer Lingus and Qatar Airways are among the latest airlines to test Iata’s New Distribution Capability (NDC).
The pilot scheme has already involved American Airlines, Air New Zealand, Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Shandong Airlines and Air Canada.
The latest move for the XML-based data transmission standard follows the US Department for Transportation granting tentative approved Resolution 787, which is the foundation document for NDC, last month.
Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: “We are delighted to be the first Middle East airline to launch an NDC pilot.
“We believe that given our position as a leading full service carrier, Qatar Airways will be able to benefit significantly from NDC features as this will enable us to better showcase the value of our five-star product offering to our passengers.”
Iata director general and chief executive Tony Tyler said: “The new pilots will support the development of the NDC standard to modernise the way that airline products are presented through travel agents and help to promote efficiency, and innovation.”