ITA Airways announces partnership with Accelya for the adoption of NDC technology

Rome, Italy – March 26, 2026

ITA Airways, Italy’s leading airline, announces a strategic partnership with Accelya, as part of its digital and commercial transformation initiated with the adoption of New Distribution Capability (NDC) technology.

Using Accelya-powered LHG NDC API technology, ITA Airways will be able to deliver dynamic, differentiated, customer-centric offerings directly to travel sellers, as well as target future technological improvements. This marks ITA Airways’ first NDC implementation in the retail sector and establishes a scalable model to ensure future growth, innovation and revenue generation.

Accelya is a global leader in airline technology and the largest enabler of NDC transactions worldwide. With ~50% of global NDC transactions (per T2RL) already flowing through its platform, Accelya provides proven scale, deep retail experience, and modern, open technology to help ITA deliver richer, more customer-centric shopping experiences across all channels.

“Our digital transformation must be a tool to ensure the best possible experience for the Customer, who is and remains at the heart of our strategy”, said Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial, Network and Incentive Management Officer of ITA Airways. “Our agreement with Accelya will allow us to offer increasingly personalized content to travel agencies and tour operators, serve our customers more effectively, and align with Lufthansa Group’s digital distribution strategy, gaining greater control over our retail and distribution network.”

Once live, the partnership will enable travel agencies, online travel agencies, tour operators, and travel management companies to access ITA Airways’ customized offerings, including ancillary services. This increased retail sales capacity will ensure higher conversion rates, improved merchandising, and a more consistent brand experience across all channels.

Sam Gilliland, CEO of Accelya, added: “We are proud to support ITA Airways in this milestone, as it takes a critical step towards modern airline retailing. With nearly 50% of global NDC transactions flowing through our platform and extensive experience supporting major airline groups, Accelya provides a proven, low-risk path for airlines like ITA to modernize distribution while firmly maintaining control of their business strategy. This agreement creates a strong platform for future offer and order innovation and supports the Lufthansa Group’s broader retail transformation journey”.

Frank Naeve, Senior Vice President, Global Markets and Stations at Lufthansa Group, commented: “ITA Airways’ adoption of Accelya’s NDC API is a key step in our Group strategy to modernize distribution and retailing. Integrating ITA into the Lufthansa Group’s NDC infrastructure ensures a unified, scalable approach across all airlines. As a trusted long-standing partner, Accelya continues to support our NDC transformation, enabling greater control, flexibility, and innovation in how we serve our customers. We are allowed to see ITA fully aligned with our vision for the future of airline retailing”.

About Accelya

Accelya is a global leader in airline software, powering over 200 airlines with an open, modular platform that enables them to drive growth, enhance customer experiences, and take control of their retailing. Our FLX ONE platform empowers airlines to transform across Offer, Order, Settlement, and Delivery (OOSD), in line with IATA’s standards for modern retailing.   

With a cloud-native infrastructure powered by AWS, Accelya processes more than 30 billion unique offers daily, settles over $100 billion annually, and delivers more than 50% of global NDC volumes. Our solutions span the entire retail lifecycle, both above and below the wing, giving airlines the flexibility, performance, scalability, and reliability they need.   

Backed by 40 years of industry expertise, long-term support from Vista Equity Partners, and 2,500 employees across 10 global offices, Accelya has the scale and proven track record to meet the evolving needs of the airline industry.   

For more information, visit the Accelya Website.

Media Relations: [email protected]

About ITA Airways

ITA Airways is the Italian reference carrier. The Company is 59% owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and 41% by Deutsche Lufthansa AG. ITA Airways operates both passenger and cargo air transport services, providing Italy with high-quality connectivity to international destinations, supporting tourism and foreign trade, as well as domestic connectivity within the Country, also leveraging integrated mobility.

Through strong digitization of processes to ensure the best possible experience and personalized services, ITA Airways places customer service at the core of its strategy. This is combined with a commitment to sustainability, which encompasses environmental aspects (such as a young, technologically advanced fleet to reduce environmental impact), social aspects (a strong focus on its employees and the communities in which it operates), and governance aspects (integrating sustainability into internal strategies and processes).

For press information:

Mail: [email protected]

About Lufthansa Group

The Lufthansa Group is an aviation group with operations worldwide. It plays a leading role in its European home market. With 101,709 employees, the Lufthansa Group generated revenue of EUR 37,581m in the financial year 2024.

The Lufthansa Group consists of the business segments Passenger Airlines, Logistics, MRO and Additional Businesses. The Passenger Airlines business segment includes, on the one hand, the network airlines Lufthansa Airlines, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and ITA Airways. As part of a multi-hub strategy, they offer their passengers a broad range of flights from their hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels and Rome. Lufthansa Airlines also has close relationships with the regional airlines Lufthansa CityLine, Lufthansa City Airlines and Air Dolomiti as well as Discover Airlines, the Lufthansa Group’s holiday airline. Edelweiss, the leading Swiss holiday airline, has a close relationship with SWISS.

Eurowings also belongs to the Passenger Airlines business segment. This airline provides a comprehensive range of point-to-point connections for short- and medium-haul destinations, in particular from German-speaking countries.

Additional Businesses include, in particular, Lufthansa Aviation Training and Lufthansa Systems. The Group Functions are also part of this business segment. AirPlus was sold to SEB Kort Bank AB in July 2024.