Africa’s largest and most successful carrier, Ethiopian Airlines has taken a decisive step in redefining airline retailing and business-to-business (B2B) operations by announcing a strategic partnership with global technology firm Nucore Technologies.
The collaboration is aimed at upgrading the airline’s Agency Portal, a critical digital platform that connects Ethiopian Airlines with travel agencies, corporate clients, and aggregators across the world.
Through advanced software integration, the partnership will introduce real-time analytics, automated workflows, flexible payment systems, and New Distribution Capability (NDC)-enabled content distribution, significantly enhancing how the airline’s services are accessed and sold globally.
Announcing the partnership, Bilen Arefaine, Vice President of ET Holiday and Digital/GCIC Sales, reaffirmed the airline’s commitment to digital leadership.
He noted that the collaboration will “enable our partners to easily access our services, including NDC-based offers, ancillary products, and hotel packages, all supported by our global platform and 24/7 technical support.”
With the Agency Portal already serving over 2,000 active customers across more than 100 stations worldwide, the upgrade marks a major milestone in Ethiopian Airlines’ broader Vision 2035 strategy to rank among the top 20 most competitive aviation groups globally.
What You Need to Know About the Partnership
At its core, the partnership between Ethiopian Airlines and Nucore Technologies is about modernising how airline services are sold, managed, and delivered to global partners.
Rather than relying on fragmented systems or intermediaries, Ethiopian Airlines is strengthening direct digital connections with its B2B customers through a unified, technology-driven platform.
The collaboration focuses on enhancing efficiency, transparency, and scalability across booking, payment, reporting, and content distribution.
By leveraging Nucore’s advanced integration capabilities, Ethiopian Airlines aims to provide its partners with faster access to fares, richer travel content, and smarter decision-making tools, while maintaining full control over its inventory and customer relationships.
A Short Note on Nucore Technologies
Nucore Technologies is a global technology solutions provider specialising in airline retailing, B2B platforms, and digital distribution systems.
The company is known for developing scalable software solutions that help airlines and travel companies modernise operations, integrate seamlessly with global standards, and improve partner experiences.
Through this partnership, Nucore brings its expertise in automation, data analytics, and NDC-compliant distribution, supporting Ethiopian Airlines’ ambition to deliver a more agile, partner-centric digital ecosystem that aligns with evolving global aviation standards.
What Is the Agency Portal?
The Agency Portal is Ethiopian Airlines’ dedicated digital platform designed for travel agencies, corporate travel managers, and ticket aggregators.
It serves as the primary interface through which partners book flights, manage reservations, access fares, and handle payments.
Currently supporting more than 2,000 active users across over 100 global locations, the portal plays a critical role in Ethiopian Airlines’ international sales and distribution network.
The ongoing upgrade is not a replacement of the platform, but a major enhancement, transforming it into a more intelligent, automated, and globally accessible system.
What Will Change With the Upgrade?
The upgraded Agency Portal will introduce several key improvements that significantly enhance partner experience and operational efficiency.
First, the platform will offer comprehensive reporting and analytics, providing real-time insights that allow partners to track bookings, sales performance, and trends, enabling data-driven decision-making.
Second, automation capabilities will streamline workflows across booking and payment processes, reducing manual intervention, errors, and processing time.
Third, the integration of NDC-enabled distribution will allow partners to access Ethiopian Airlines’ content directly, including personalised offers and dynamic pricing, without relying on traditional intermediaries.
In addition, the portal will support flexible payment solutions, making it easier for global partners to transact across different markets and currencies.
Furthermore, the booking experience itself will be significantly enhanced, with simplified access to ancillary products such as extra baggage and seat upgrades, as well as hotel packages, all within a single digital interface.
How This Fits Into Ethiopian Airlines’ Long-Term Vision
This initiative aligns squarely with Ethiopian Airlines’ Vision 2035, a long-term roadmap aimed at positioning the airline among the world’s leading aviation groups.
A central pillar of this strategy is digital transformation, ensuring that the airline remains competitive in an increasingly technology-driven global aviation industry.
By adopting NDC standards and investing in modern B2B infrastructure, Ethiopian Airlines is setting a benchmark for airline retailing in Africa while strengthening its Pan-African multi-hub strategy, which includes hubs in Lomé, Lilongwe, Lusaka, and Kinshasa.
These hubs are designed to enhance regional connectivity, improve passenger experience, and support economic integration across the continent.
Why the Partnership Matters for National and Economic Growth
Beyond airline operations, the partnership carries broader implications for Ethiopia’s national economy and Africa’s digital aviation ecosystem.
A more efficient, digitally connected national carrier strengthens trade, tourism, and business mobility, key drivers of economic growth.
Improved digital infrastructure enables Ethiopian Airlines to attract more international partners, expand route profitability, and increase foreign exchange earnings.
It also positions the airline as a technology leader in African aviation, encouraging innovation, skills development, and digital adoption across related industries such as travel, hospitality, and logistics.
By modernising its B2B operations and embracing global standards, Ethiopian Airlines is not only enhancing its competitiveness but also reinforcing its role as a strategic national asset contributing to economic resilience and continental connectivity.
Talking Points
The partnership between Ethiopian Airlines and Nucore Technologies underscores a broader and increasingly unavoidable reality in global aviation, that’s, the digitalisation of travel services is no longer optional, but strategic.
As seen earlier in Cairo, where Egypt’s aviation and travel ecosystem has steadily adopted digital booking systems, automated airport services, and integrated airline, tourism platforms to manage high passenger volumes efficiently, digital transformation has proven critical to competitiveness, customer experience, and operational resilience.
Ethiopian Airlines’ move follows this same trajectory, recognising that modern travellers and travel intermediaries now expect seamless, data-driven, and end-to-end digital services, from booking and payments to personalised offers and ancillary sales.
By upgrading its Agency Portal and embracing NDC standards, Ethiopia is aligning itself with global best practices, much like Cairo’s role as a digitally enabled aviation hub connecting Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
Critically, these examples illustrate that digitalisation is not just about technology adoption but about economic positioning as digitally mature travel systems reduce friction, increase transparency, attract international partners, and strengthen a country’s role in global mobility and trade networks.
In this context, Ethiopia’s initiative speaks a deliberate shift toward future-ready aviation, reinforcing the lesson from others such as Cairo that nations that digitise travel services early gain lasting advantages in connectivity, tourism growth, and regional leadership.
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