New partnership will enable companies and travel agencies to manage airline travel payments through a centralized account, improving visibility, reconciliation, reporting, and payment efficiency while creating new growth opportunities for Air India
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — UATP, the global network enabling organizations to simplify payment processes and expand their payment capabilities, has announced that Air India will become the first airline in India to offer UATP accounts to its customers. Through the initiative, businesses and travel agencies will be able to purchase Air India travel using a centralized UATP account instead of multiple individual payment methods, making it easier to manage travel spending, track transactions, reconcile accounts, and access detailed reporting.
The program will provide greater efficiency, transparency and control for corporate customers and travel agency partners, while helping Air India strengthen its distribution capabilities, improve payment processes, and support the growing demand for business travel in India.
The agreement, which will be formally announced in the coming months, builds on UATP’s growing presence in India. This marks the next stage of UATP’s expansion in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.
“India is a market of significant strategic importance to UATP, and Air India is the ideal partner as the first airline offering UATP in the region,” said Ralph A. Kaiser, President and CEO of UATP. “By partnering with Air India, establishing UATP India Private Ltd. in Mumbai and developing a settlement solution for Indian currency, we are building the foundation for a successful program across India’s travel sector.”
India is one of the world’s largest aviation markets, with aviation supporting 7.7 million jobs and 1.5% of GDP. UATP’s market whitepaper, Opportunity in India: Commercial Aviation, Payments, and Growth on the Subcontinent, cites research projecting growth in digital payment transactions from 159 billion in FY2023-24 to 481 billion by FY2028-29.
Designed to support both Air India and its agency partners, the program provides a modern payment framework that centralizes processes, improves reporting accuracy, streamlines reconciliation, and increases transparency across the payment lifecycle. The initiative advances Air India’s strategic priorities of reducing costs, mitigating risk, and optimizing distribution performance.
“Through UATP, we are empowering our travel agency partners with a modern payment solution that improves efficiency, visibility, and control across the payment process,” said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer at Air India. “As the travel market continues to expand, this program strengthens collaboration with our agency community and delivers a differentiated payment offering that benefits the entire travel ecosystem.”
When the UATP-Air India program goes live in the coming months, Air India will be able to expand payment options for businesses and business travelers in India, while creating new opportunities to grow its core travel business.
Since its privatization in 2022, Air India has been undergoing a comprehensive transformation spanning fleet renewal, new cabin products, digital transformation, operational enhancements, and elevated customer experience initiatives. The airline has placed record orders for 600 aircraft, introduced new and retrofitted cabin products, expanded its global network, enhanced on-board offerings, and invested significantly in technology platforms to deliver a more seamless travel experience.
For more information about the partnership between UATP and Air India, or to speak with a UATP executive, please contact Wendy Ward at wendy.ward@uatp.com.
ABOUT UATP
UATP is the global payment network simplifying payments in complex industries. We make it easy for businesses to accept or make any type of payment, open new markets, drive growth, and reduce costs for Network Participants, vendors, agents, aggregators, and more. UATP is continually innovating to connect companies to new forms of payment (AFPs), and our easy-to-use data tools, DataStream® and DataMine®, provide comprehensive account details to Customers and their Corporate Account Holders. Our team has decades of experience with the ever-changing payments landscape, and our reliable and proven technology ensures our global customers get more from every payment experience. Learn more at uatp.com.
Accepted as a form of payment for corporate business travel worldwide by airlines, travel agencies, and Amtrak®; UATP accounts are deployed by: Aeromexico; AERTiCKET; Air Canada (TSE: AC); Air China; Air India; Air New Zealand (ANZFF.PK); Air Niugini; Akbar Travels; American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL); APG Airlines; APG Pay; Austrian Airlines; BCD Travel; China Eastern Airlines; ConnexPay; Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL); EL AL Israel Airlines; Ethiopian Airlines; Etihad Airways; Fareportal; Flight Centre Travel Group; Frontier Airlines; GOL Linhas Aereas inteligentes S.A. (Bovespa: GOLL4); Hahn Air; High Point Travel; Hopper; Japan Airlines (9201:JP); JetBlue Airways; LATAM Airlines; MakeMyTrip; Perk Platform S.L.U.; Qantas Airways (QUBSF.PK); SEB Kort, Germany (“AirPlus”); Shandong Airlines; Sichuan Airlines; Southwest Airlines; Sun Country Airlines; TUIfly GmbH; Turkish Airlines (ISE: THYAO); United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL); Wego; WestJet; Wings Global Travel and W2 by GO7.
About Air India Group
The Air India Group – comprising full-service global airline, Air India, and value carrier, Air India Express – is spearheading a new era of Indian aviation. The Air India story began in 1932 when JRD Tata piloted the airline’s inaugural flight and opened the skies for aviation in India. Today, Air India Group employs more than 30,000 people, operates over 300 aircraft and carries travellers to 60 domestic and 51 international destinations across five continents.
Returning to Tata Sons in 2022 following 70 years under Government ownership, Air India Group is in the midst of a five-year transformation program, Vihaan.AI. As part of the transformation, Air India has placed orders for 600 new aircraft. In addition to taking new aircraft deliveries, Air India is progressively retrofitting all its legacy aircraft.
The Air India Group operates South Asia’s largest aviation training academy in Gurugram, India. The construction of a new flying school and a greenfield maintenance base is in progress. With transformation underway across all facets of the business and India’s rich legacy of hospitality, Air India is committed to being a world class global airline with an Indian heart.
For more news on Air India, visit http://www.airindia.com/newsroom.
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