DULLES, VA – 05 September 2018 – ATPCO and Blockskye today released a whitepaper describing the key features of blockchain and its applicability to airline distribution. In addition, the companies, along with SITA, announced a proof of concept (POC) on blockchain and how it could potentially be utilized in next-generation airline offer management. As part of this POC, ATPCO, Blockskye, and SITA are advancing a discussion on how the industry might create value for the market using decentralized airline offer generation based on International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) New Distribution Capability (NDC) and ONE Order initiatives. The concept would enable airline and channel partners to handle the exponentially increasing volumes of data accurately and securely. The POC leverages NDC Exchange, built by ATPCO and SITA, because it is a neutral platform that facilitates real-time connectivity, on SITA’s global IT infrastructure, between airlines and travel sellers so that they can exchange messages easily and cost-effectively.

As airlines and sellers deliver greater value and choice through NDC, it becomes increasingly important for offers to be consistently and accurately managed. NDC Exchange provides the ability to seamlessly integrate fulfilment and data sources from shopping through settlement across all actors in the value chain. The POC will explore augmenting NDC Exchange with blockchain technology, providing a trusted and secure offer authority that can reduce integration costs and transaction risk for airlines and sellers alike.

“Blockchain is an undeniable transformative force. With the support of Blockskye, we wanted to ask the question, ‘How could this technology be implemented to support the future-state airline distribution ecosystem, and where can ATPCO add industry value?’” said Head of ATPCO Research & Development Gianni Cataldo. “The concept of a persistent offer managed by a neutral authority addresses many of the coming challenges of direct distribution. We hope this paper spurs discussion on how technology can drive paradigm shifts and in turn lead to industry alignment,” he continued.

“The travel ecosystem has been searching for a way to engage NDC, build a dynamic marketplace, and empower airlines — blockchain changes the game on all of these,” said Blockskye CEO & Co-Founder Brook Armstrong.