MOGADISHU, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has rolled out a pilot for its Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) in Somalia to modernize the country's aviation sector.
In a statement released on Thursday, IATA said the move, which paves the way for a full launch of the service at the end of May, supports the Somali government's ambition to grow its aviation sector and expand global connectivity.
Kamil Al-Awadhi, IATA's regional vice president for Africa and the Middle East, noted that air travel is a powerful economic catalyst and expressed pride in partnering with Somalia as it transforms its national infrastructure.
"Accelerating the implementation of secure, effective and cost-efficient financial services is a key pillar of IATA's Focus Africa initiative," he added.
According to IATA, four travel agents and several airlines, including Ethiopian Airlines, are participating in the new pilot program.
This initiative paves the way for the BSP to become available to all airlines and more than 300 travel agents in Somalia by May.
The BSP is a global system designed to facilitate and simplify financial transactions between IATA-accredited passenger sales agents and airlines. It tracks and manages air ticket sales and associated financial transactions across more than 400 airlines and tens of thousands of agents worldwide.
Mohamed Farah Nuh, Somalia's minister of transport and civil aviation, said the country stands at a pivotal moment in transforming its aviation sector, noting that growing regional and global connectivity underpins its ambition to revitalize the economy and position Mogadishu as a transport hub in the Horn of Africa. ■