Nium, a fintech company that specializes in real-time international payments, has partnered with Air France and KLM to facilitate closed-loop electronic payments between the airlines and certain travel agencies.

Through the use of a private network of reliable Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP) authorization rails and bank transfers, Air France and KLM will have access to an alternative to travel agency card transactions by utilizing the Nium Airline Payments (NAP) system.

For airlines and travel agents, NAP will therefore provide reduced payment costs, increased flexibility, and assured payment acceptance.

NAP: Transforming airline and travel agent payments

NAP, which is supported by a private network of UATP authorization rails, removes middlemen from the payment process, allowing KLM and Air France more freedom to provide a new payment option to specific travel agency partners.

Nium can assure payment acceptance and shorten settlement times from hours to minutes—and in certain situations, even seconds—by using NAP.

NAP: Transforming airline and travel agent payments

NAP, which is supported by a private network of UATP authorization rails, removes middlemen from the payment process, allowing KLM and Air France more freedom to provide a new payment option to specific travel agency partners.

Nium can assure payment acceptance and shorten settlement times from hours to minutes—and in certain situations, even seconds—by using NAP.

The travel industry has struggled with difficult, costly, and time-consuming payment methods for many years, according to Spencer Hanlon, Global Head of Travel Payments at Nium.

"Nium is revolutionizing the way money flows through the travel ecosystem by assisting travel agencies, as well as their airline and lodging partners, in realizing the promise of worldwide real-time payments.

"We are excited to assist Air France and KLM in resolving some of the unfairness related to antiquated traditional payment models, which affect both the airlines and the travel-selling intermediaries."

By utilizing NAP, travel agencies may benefit from increased acceptance rates, timeliness, and efficiency of payments—all essential components of a profitable business—all on one platform.

To successfully raise profits, NAP increases conversion rates and enhances operational effectiveness.

"We built NAP to create a more equitable and sustainable model between airlines and their agent partners around the world," says John Taylor, Head of Airline Payments at Nium.

"Payments are becoming a deciding factor in distribution negotiations, improving control and collaboration inside the indirect sales channel, for airlines, rather than just a required expense of doing business.

"We are excited to work with Air France and KLM to solve its travel agent network together. It's a pleasure to have them join the NAP family."

NAP will be implemented as part of the partnership throughout the European travel agency network of Air France and KLM, starting in Italy and expanding to more regions soon.

Growing Nium 

The airline and travel agency industry's newest agreement with Nium comes after the company's announcement earlier this month at Money20/20 Europe about its partnership with Remote, which was struck to improve global workforce management with real-time cross-border payroll solutions.

In fact, Nium has been growing steadily for a while now thanks to a number of agreements. The cross-border fintech and Trulioo partnered in April of this year to use Trulioo's identity platform for business and personal verification.

Additionally, in response to the increasing demand for its virtual credit cards, Nium extended its B2B travel business in APAC in 2023.

Nium was established with the goal of delivering the global payments infrastructure of the future now. Since then, it has grown and influenced how banks, fintechs, and companies worldwide gather, convert, and rapidly distribute money across borders.

Currently, its payment network covers more than 220 countries and supports 100 currencies, 100 of which are in real-time. 34 nations are home to its expanding card issuing industry.