Airlink has announced that its NDC offering will come on stream globally from July 31, on which date a distribution fee will be applied to ‘normal’ GDS (Edifact) bookings.

“By introducing NDC, Airlink and its industry partners can start taking advantage of the way airlines’ content is made available. Importantly, this allows us to reduce costs while also enhancing our competitiveness,” said Rodger Foster, CEO and MD of Airlink.

Foster pointed out that the introduction of NDC would not only provide Airlink’s partner agents with an unparalleled level of service but also access to richer content and retailing opportunities.

“Partner agents can seamlessly service their bookings, manage ancillary services, provide real-time updates, and resolve customer enquiries promptly,” he added.

The airline says its existing published fares will still be available to the travel trade through the traditional GDS Edifact channel until July 30, 2026. But bookings made through the normal GDS (Edifact) channel will be subject to a fee. From July 30 this year, fees will be applied as follows:

• Domestic (POS ZA): $6 (R110)

• Regional (POS Africa): $9 (R166)

• Global (Rest of World): $11 (R202).

Transitioning to the NDC channel will give agents access to additional content and preferential terms on sectors in C, J, Y, K and H classes from the inception date.

Airlink’s commercial department has worked with Thomalex over the past year to develop and streamline its NDC offering. Thomalex will act as the Airlink’s initial NDC aggregator.

“Ultimately, this is about ensuring Airlink remains abreast of industry best practices while strengthening long-term sustainability and providing significantly enhanced benefits for our trade partners and joint customers,” says Foster.

To ensure its global reach via NDC, Airlink has said it will assess solutions and partners that could be onboarded on an ongoing basis.