Africa's aviation sector is rapidly getting on board the NDC, compelling TMCs to adapt swiftly. This transformation will significantly impact business travellers and corporate clients across the continent, with seven African airlines already having achieved NDC certification.
Bonnie Smith, GM of Flight Centre’s corporate arm, FCM, emphasises the critical nature of NDC readiness for TMCs serving African corporate clients. She advocates for proactive engagement between businesses and their TMCs regarding NDC preparedness.
Smith believes corporates should ensure their TMC can seamlessly integrate NDC content with traditional booking methods. "This capability will be instrumental in optimising your corporate travel programmes moving forward."
Speaking of FCM, she says: "As part of a global organisation, we've invested significantly in integrating NDC content alongside our traditional booking channels. This strategy helps address the complexities of varying NDC adoption rates across African markets."
While TMCs worldwide are preparing for NDC, Africa is still in the early stages of its NDC journey, but things are starting to pick up speed, says Smith.
IATA's airline retailing maturity index shows that seven African airlines have already achieved NDC certification: Ethiopian Airlines, Air Mauritius, Kenya Airways, Fly Egypt, Air Cairo, EgyptAir, and Airlink. Tunis Air is next and, according to Smith, at least five more African airlines expected to join the NDC by the end of 2024.
This growing adoption suggests a domino effect, with more airlines across the continent likely to implement NDC in the coming years.
Africa's slower uptake of NDC can be traced to a few key factors: infrastructure limitations, varying levels of tech readiness, complex regulations, and the initial costs of implementation. Despite these hurdles, NDC presents significant opportunities for the African travel industry. These include more personalised content for travellers, the potential for more competitive pricing, and richer data to help optimise travel programmes, says a release from FCM.
Smith notes: "While Africa may be playing catch-up in some respects, this also means we can learn from early adopters and potentially leapfrog some of the teething problems experienced elsewhere. The key is for TMCs and their clients to start preparing now, so we're ready to capitalise on the benefits as NDC gains momentum across the continent."
But it’s not all plain sailing, says Smith.
Corporate travel managers working in Africa are facing a bit of a juggling act. With different countries adopting NDC at various speeds, it's creating some headaches for big companies operating across multiple African nations. They're grappling with issues like inconsistent content in different markets, potential changes to their hard-won corporate rates, and the need to tweak travel policies to fit with this new NDC world.
And, Smith points out, getting NDC-ready isn't a small undertaking – it requires significant investment.
