PR90800

SHANGHAI, July 22, 2021/PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

UnionPay International (UPI) announced today the cooperation with the

International Air Transport Association (IATA) to launch multiple UnionPay

payment products on the IATA Financial Gateway (IFG). UnionPay cardholders can

now make easy reservations via all airline distribution channels including

travel agents and mobile apps of international airlines that accept UnionPay

products.

As one of the most important organizations in the aviation industry, IATA

represents over 290 member airlines, covering 82% of global air traffic.

Currently, nearly 90 international airlines such as Emirates, Singapore

Airlines and Air France have supported UnionPay cards. Through the global

accessibility of the IFG, this cooperation is expected to extend UnionPay

online payment services to more regional airlines and facilitate local business

trips for frequent travelers outside Mainland China.

Larry Wang, Vice President of UnionPay International, said: "UPI continues to

optimize the card-using experience across the airline industry to provide

cardholders with more secure and convenient online ticket booking services and

our cooperation with the IATA Financial Gateway better positions UnionPay cards

for air ticket purchases. Ultimately, more acceptance across various fields

offers an enhanced experience for our cardholders at home and abroad."

"IFG provides a cost-effective solution for airlines and travel suppliers to

optimize their different sales payment processes. We're very pleased to welcome

UnionPay International's suite of payment products to the IFG, which will

provide more payment options for UnionPay cardholders," said Muhammad Albakri,

IATA's Senior Vice President, Financial Settlement and Distribution Services.

IATA has integrated UnionPay online payment products into the IFG. All airlines

can enable UnionPay acceptance for different online sales channels simply

through an API call without additional system modification. The two parties

will work together to support airlines in enabling UnionPay throughout all

touchpoints on the passenger journey which will also further increase UnionPay

card acceptance at more airline ticketing centers and in other offline use

cases.

In recent years, UPI has cooperated with global acquirers and major gateways to

step up optimizing online card acceptance. At present, UnionPay online payment

has been enabled for more than 22 million merchants in over 200 countries and

regions. In the first half of this year alone, more than 3,000 new major online

merchants were enabled to take UnionPay cards. Popular online travel agencies,

such as Agoda and Booking.com, now support UnionPay online payments, together

with ten well-known hotel groups including Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental and

Four Seasons.

About IATA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for

the world's airlines, representing some 290 airlines or 82% of total air

traffic. IATA supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate

industry policy on critical aviation issues. Visit www.iata.org for more

information.

About UnionPay International

UnionPay International (UPI) is focused on the growth and support of UnionPay's

global business. In partnership with more than 2400 institutions worldwide,

UnionPay International has enabled card acceptance in 180 countries and regions

with issuance in 70 countries and regions.

SOURCE:  UnionPay International