Airlines sign agreement to contribute schedules data to IATA programme

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said that 40 airlines have signed an agreement to contribute their schedules data to the IATA Schedule Data Exchange Programme.

The Director-General of IATA, Mr Willie Walsh, made this known in a statement made available to our reporter in Lagos on Monday.

He said that additional 40 airlines were preparing to join.

Walsh noted that work on the programme began in October 2023 with the first release planned in March 2025.

He said: “The early and strong support for the IATA Schedule Data Exchange Programme bodes well for its success.

“Coverage is growing with each new airline that comes on board, and we encourage all airlines, IATA members and non-members, to join this strategic industry effort.

“The Schedule Data Exchange Programme will collect schedules, capacity and minimum connecting time data used in several IATA products and services, supporting network development, revenue management, slot coordination and interline agreements.

“IATA is not creating a commercial product aimed at replacing or competing with entities currently distributing schedule data. Participating airlines will have access to the data on a give-to-get principle,” he said.

Walsh also said that the programme was open to both IATA and non IATA-member airlines.

He added that participating airlines would submit their data to IATA with the same format, frequency and transmission method they used to distribute their schedules.

He said that the data sharing principles and data release policy of the programme were determined by an advisory group comprising participating carriers.

“The IATA Board of Governors had set a strategic priority for IATA to be the most authoritative source of industry data across a wide range of topics.

“There is also an industry interest in ensuring that industry data has the potential to be provided through several sources.

“Airlines are all too familiar with the detrimental impacts of having limited competition in their supplier communities,” Walsh said.

In another development, Walsh announced that Mr Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer of IndiGo, has assumed duties as the Chair of the IATA Board of Governors.

He said that Elbers’s one-year term began at the conclusion of the 80th IATA Annual General Meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Monday.