Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier and one of the fastest-growing aviation groups in the world, has moved decisively into New Distribution Capability distribution over the past twelve months. In November 2025 alone, the airline executed two separate go-lives with two different infrastructure partners, signaling a shift from NDC as a capability project to NDC as an active commercial priority.
Ethiopian Airlines NDC Certification Status
Ethiopian Airlines holds IATA Level 3 NDC certification, which means it has verified Offer and Order Management capabilities. At Level 3, travel agents connected to Ethiopian’s NDC channel can not only shop and book but also service existing bookings, including changes to itineraries, through the same modern channel. The airline uses NDC schema version 17.2, which covers all essential booking capabilities.
Beyond Level 3, Ethiopian also holds an IATA ARM (Airline Retailing Maturity) certification, awarded in February 2022. ARM certification goes further than technical NDC capability verification. It measures an airline across three domains: technical capability, the scale and quality of active distribution partnerships, and actual commercial value being captured through those partnerships. The ARM index is where NDC stops being a badge and starts being a business metric.
Ethiopian Airlines NDC: November 2025 Go-Lives
In November 2025, Ethiopian became the first airline to integrate with ARC Direct Connect using ARC’s new Transaction API. ARC (Airlines Reporting Corporation) is the leading airline settlement platform for the US market. By connecting through ARC Direct Connect, Ethiopian made its NDC content immediately accessible to US-based travel agencies, all within a single settlement infrastructure. Days after that go-live, Ethiopian adopted Accelya’s FLX Select, a modular NDC content distribution service built on Amazon Web Services. FLX Select is part of Accelya’s FLX ONE platform, the same infrastructure that processes over 30 billion unique offers daily and settles more than $100 billion annually across global airlines.
Two separate go-lives in one month, with two different technology partners, is not routine. It reflects an airline that has completed its NDC infrastructure build and is now focused on distribution coverage at scale.
“Our adoption of FLX Select marks a pivotal step in delivering a more personalized global travel experience and reinforcing our mission as the airline of choice for customers worldwide. — Rahel Assefa, Group Vice President Marketing, Ethiopian Airlines”
Ethiopian Airlines and Nucore: B2B Distribution Upgraded
In January 2026, Ethiopian signed a strategic agreement with Nucore Technologies to further accelerate its B2B distribution capabilities. The partnership upgrades Ethiopian’s Agency Portal, which already serves more than 2,000 active customers across more than 100 stations worldwide, with 24/7 support. New capabilities being added include advanced analytics and reporting, multiple payment options, and the bundling of ancillary services and hotel packages within the NDC booking flow. This positions Ethiopian’s NDC channel not just as a ticketing mechanism but as a complete commercial interface for trade partners.
How Travel Agents Can Connect to Ethiopian Airlines NDC
Ethiopian offers two pathways for travel sellers to access its NDC content. The first is a direct API connection, suited for larger agencies, OTAs, and TMCs with technical resources to support an airline integration. The second is connection through certified NDC aggregators, which handle the technical complexity on behalf of the agency and allow access to Ethiopian NDC content through existing workflows.
Ethiopian’s NDC channel supports the full range of published fares, private authorized fares, codeshare flight availability, ancillary products, and servicing capabilities including changes, refunds, and seat assignments. Sellers can contact DigitalServicesSupport@ethiopianairlines.com for technical onboarding guidance.
Why Ethiopian Airlines NDC Matters for Africa
Ethiopian flies to more than 160 destinations across five continents and handles a significant share of intra-African connecting traffic. Its hub in Addis Ababa serves as a gateway between Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. When a carrier at that scale activates NDC content through a settlement platform like ARC, the reach effect is immediate and wide. Distribution partners that want access to Ethiopian’s connecting traffic have a commercial reason to integrate. Ethiopian’s network size is leverage that smaller African carriers cannot replicate when building NDC partnerships market by market.
Ethiopian’s Vision 2035 strategy targets a position among the top 20 most competitive aviation groups globally. NDC is not peripheral to that ambition. The ability to offer dynamic pricing, personalized bundles, and rich ancillary content through indirect channels is a core enabler of the commercial model the airline is building toward.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Does Ethiopian Airlines use NDC? Yes. Ethiopian Airlines holds IATA Level 3 NDC certification and ARM certification. In November 2025, it went live on ARC Direct Connect and adopted Accelya’s FLX Select for NDC content distribution. |
| What NDC schema version does Ethiopian Airlines use? Ethiopian Airlines uses NDC schema version 17.2, which supports all core shopping, booking, and servicing capabilities. |
| How can travel agents book Ethiopian Airlines through NDC? Agents can connect via direct API or through certified NDC aggregators. Contact DigitalServicesSupport@ethiopianairlines.com for technical onboarding guidance. |
| Is Ethiopian Airlines on Amadeus NDC? Ethiopian Airlines’ primary NDC distribution moves in 2025 were through ARC Direct Connect and Accelya’s FLX Select. Separately, Ethiopian signed a distribution agreement with Travelport in 2022 that included NDC content. |
