Navan moves Singapore Airlines NDC to a direct connection

Integration brings exclusive fares and enhanced servicing

Navan, the global AI-powered business travel and expense platform, has upgraded its access to Singapore Airlines content to a direct NDC connection using the carrier’s Amadeus Altéa NDC 21.3 API. 

The company said over 70% of Singapore Airlines bookings made via Navan already flow through the NDC channel. 

The move accelerates adoption of next-generation distribution for Navan, which aims to deliver a seamless online experience from search through to after-sales while improving access to fares and services offered by the airline.

The connection is built on Navan’s proprietary content aggregation platform, which orchestrates the carrier’s NDC flows. 

The integration enables the display and booking of exclusive fares, including eligible corporate and private fare grids as well as dynamically priced offers. In markets where Singapore Airlines applies an EDIFACT distribution surcharge, NDC bookings avoid that fee. 

The depth of the integration should also make it easier to sell bundles and ancillaries such as advance seat selection and prepaid excess baggage - where supported - and to speed up post-booking servicing, with changes, cancellations and refunds handled more quickly for the benefit of travellers and support teams.

For Navan, the direct link with Singapore Airlines strengthens the reliability of the journey and lays the groundwork for future upgrades. “Singapore Airlines is a critical partner in connecting business travelers across Asia Pacific with the rest of the world,” said Dane Molter, SVP, group travel marketplace at Navan. 

“This direct NDC connection will enable us to bring the airline’s rich content into Navan and deliver a better experience for travelers that raises the bar for airline retailing.”

From the airline’s perspective, the goal is to broaden the reach of its NDC content among corporate customers and offer a more personalised shopping experience, with greater fare and service choice.

“Singapore Airlines is committed to expanding the reach and capabilities of our NDC content for business travelers globally,” said Gan Cai Fong, general manager of distribution at Singapore Airlines.

“Navan’s continued investment in NDC will help deliver a seamless and comprehensive shopping, booking and servicing experience for customers.”

The upgrade adds to Navan’s growing portfolio of direct NDC connections announced with SAS, Qantas, ITA Airways and Emirates, alongside a recent servicing upgrade for Lufthansa Group to NDC 24.1. 

For corporates, the promise is access to the "best fare conditions and the preservation of service continuity during disruption". 

For finance and procurement teams, integrating rich content into a unified journey should also simplify cost control and policy compliance - provided servicing features (ticket changes, exchanges, refunds) reach sufficient maturity across all markets.

The firm have said the chosen architecture provides a more "robust foundation for fixes and future enhancements to harmonise shopping and servicing". 

In particular, the integration promises greater consistency across the stages of booking and after-sales, including 24/7 assistance provided by the platform. 

Travellers should therefore reach relevant Singapore Airlines offers more quickly and benefit from smoother disruption management - a key issue for Asia-Pacific markets served by the carrier and for long-haul intercontinental itineraries.