Ralph A. Kaiser, President and CEO, UATP
“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. 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.”
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India
“Through UATP, we are empowering our travel agency partners with a modern payment solution that improves efficiency, visibility, and control across the payment process. 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.”
Air India is set to become the first airline in India to offer UATP accounts to businesses and travel agencies, following a new partnership with UATP aimed at simplifying corporate travel payments and improving control over travel spending.
Under the programme, companies and travel agencies will be able to purchase Air India travel through a centralised UATP account rather than relying on multiple individual payment methods. The arrangement is designed to streamline travel spend management, transaction tracking, reconciliation and reporting.
The programme is expected to go live in the coming months following a formal announcement of the agreement. UATP said the initiative will also support Air India’s distribution strategy and create additional opportunities to grow its corporate travel business.
UATP expands its presence in India
The partnership represents another step in UATP’s expansion in the Indian market. UATP has established UATP India Private Ltd. in Mumbai and has developed an INR settlement solution to support transactions in local currency.
UATP said the Indian settlement capability forms part of its broader strategy to build infrastructure for the country’s growing aviation and business travel market. Its INR settlement solution was activated in October 2025.
Ralph A. Kaiser, President and CEO of UATP, said India is strategically important to the company and described Air India as its first airline partner in the country.
“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,” Kaiser said.
Centralised payments for the travel trade
For businesses and travel agencies, the UATP framework is intended to bring multiple payment and reporting functions into a single account structure.
The programme will centralise payment processes, improve reporting accuracy and simplify reconciliation, while providing greater visibility across the payment lifecycle. UATP said the framework is designed to give corporate customers and agency partners greater efficiency, transparency and control.
For travel agencies, the system could also provide a more structured way to manage Air India transactions across corporate accounts, particularly as business travel volumes increase and agencies handle increasingly complex payment and reporting requirements.
Air India targets greater efficiency for agency partners
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India, said the UATP programme would provide travel agency partners with a modern payment solution focused on efficiency, visibility and control.
“Through UATP, we are empowering our travel agency partners with a modern payment solution that improves efficiency, visibility, and control across the payment process,” Aggarwal said.
The airline said the initiative aligns with its broader distribution priorities, including improving payment processes and strengthening relationships with travel agency partners.
UATP programme to expand payment options
Once operational, the Air India-UATP programme will give businesses and business travellers in India an additional payment mechanism for Air India travel, while travel agencies will gain access to a centralised framework for managing eligible transactions.
The move comes as Air India continues its wider transformation, which includes fleet renewal, expansion of its international network, new and upgraded cabin products and investment in digital and technology platforms.
For UATP, the Air India agreement also establishes an airline partnership at a time when the Indian aviation and corporate travel markets continue to expand, while its local-currency settlement capability provides infrastructure for further participation in the country’s travel payments ecosystem.
