Hitit details artificial intelligence integration and commercial platforms expansion at the 82nd IATA AGM

During the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Hitit presented the technical progress of its commercial distribution systems, payment platforms, and the operational integration of artificial intelligence. The industry gathering took place in a global context conditioned by rising operational costs and delays in logistical supply chains.

Özlem Salihoğlu, Partner Experience Advisor at Hitit, evaluated the industry landscape after the event: "It was a great pleasure to join the 82nd IATA AGM and meet colleagues together with dear Maxi. The main takeaway for me is the industry profit per pax is expected to be 4.5 USD in 2026 compared to the previous year’s 7.2 USD. This is of course due to %70 higher year-on-year fuel costs and supply chain crisis, aircraft and engine delivery delays."

Regarding traffic and connectivity projections, she added: "Though the passenger demand keeps continuing and growth forecast for pax is to be around 2.1% for 2026, cargo is affected by the Middle East conflict and capacity distruptions especially in terms of hub connectivity, thus slowing the growth and the forecast for cargo to be around 0.7 % for year 2026. I believe all these insights shared during the IATA AGM would be hepful for overall industry to define the priorities and take necessary actions in coordination with relevant stakeholders so as to make aviation more profitable in the coming years. It’s a challenging period and as Hitit, we will continue to contribute to our partners with our ever-growing vision & transformative power while turning to our 32nd anniversary."

Maximiliano Vicini, Head of Business Development for the Americas at Hitit, detailed the company's perspective regarding the market situation: "We are very satisfied with our participation in the event and having had the opportunity to share all of Hitit's news with the attendees. On the other hand, our reflection in this context of geopolitical tension that directly impacts global fuel prices affecting all airlines, is that today more than ever, we need to be resilient and work together, each from our role, to overcome this new crisis."

The aviation technology company communicated its transformation program based on combining its research and development capacity with next-generation technologies. Hitit monitors the rapid global progress in the field of artificial intelligence, especially Large Language Model (LLM) technologies, which have advanced natural language processing capabilities, and agentic AI models, designed to execute tasks autonomously according to predefined goals.

Currently, the capabilities of these technologies to make bookings, manage reservations, or support passenger processes through airline systems are limited. Transaction volumes originating from such platforms through Hitit systems represent less than 1% of the total. However, the company projects these volumes will increase in the short and medium term based on consumer interest and the speed of technological development.

Hitit considers artificial intelligence a strategic transformation area that demands technical preparation today. The company implemented a comprehensive program to incorporate next-generation agentic AI functions, in parallel with the traditional AI solutions it developed in previous years.

The technology provider's stance establishes that artificial intelligence is not an isolated feature or an experimental layer added to products. The company integrates AI as a core capability within the operational decision-making mechanisms of airline systems, the passenger experience, and sales and distribution processes. AI became an operational standard that shapes every level of its IT solutions.

The firm completed infrastructure developments for its content distribution, sales, and management systems to operate directly with next-generation AI platforms. This specifically includes Crane PSS and Hitit Oxygen. The objective is for these systems to function more securely and efficiently.

Hitit made its Artificial Intelligence Integration Platform available for use, built according to Model Context Protocol (MCP) standards. These standards are accepted in the information technology industry but do not yet have widespread use in the aviation sector. The design of this platform allows AI applications to interact with Hitit systems in a controlled and scalable manner. The company maintains conversations with different airlines to coordinate go-live processes.

The current technologies the provider works on include agentic AI systems, generative AI architectures, large language models, and integrated data intelligence structures. The purpose is to generate adaptive systems that optimize airline decisions and provide faster operations management.

In the field of financial transactions, the company offers Hitit Payment Orchestration (HPO), a solution that allows airlines to manage all their global online payment processes through a unified platform. HPO connects with payment institutions, banks, and service providers operating in different countries, providing airlines with a centralized, flexible, and scalable payment infrastructure.

Airlines face high technical complexity in their payment processes. Changing global regulations, user expectations for personalized payment experiences, and the high costs generated by fragmented legacy systems increase operational problems. Airlines seek to balance costs and turn to multi-channel sales models, creating the need for centralized administration.

HPO was designed to respond to this requirement. The platform allows managing payment alternatives under a unified structure, in a context where aviation integrates increasingly with the broader travel ecosystem. The tool has AI-supported capabilities and follows modern airline retailing principles to accelerate decision-making and provide operational efficiency throughout the payment lifecycle.

During the first quarter of 2026, Hitit initiated the live usage of the HPO platform within the Agency Distribution System (ADS) framework through its cloud infrastructure. The company is advancing work to migrate existing bank and payment system integrations to this architecture.

Hitit established an AI-supported process design and monitoring infrastructure for the administration of payment flow functions and business processes. This infrastructure entered the testing phase for live usage. In parallel with technical advances, the firm executes international registration and brand positioning tasks.

In 2025, the commercial aviation sector experienced the transformation toward modern airline retailing. Hitit aligned its strategy with IATA's vision in this area and provided global capabilities to convert traditional airline infrastructures into next-generation e-commerce platforms.

The company launched Hitit Oxygen, a system integrated with the company's passenger service system (PSS) and agency distribution system solutions. This consolidates a unified end-to-end technology platform.

During the first quarter of 2026, the company presented Hitit Oxygen's operational results at AFA, an industry event held in Singapore. At that instance, Hitit reported that Oxygen's transaction volume exceeded 8 billion per day.

The company closed an agreement with a second partner airline for the use of Oxygen. Go-live preparations with this partner are ongoing, and the firm maintains negotiations with other airlines.

Hitit won the "Technology Partner Contributing to the Digitalization of Sales" award at the Best of Sales Awards (BoSA), organized by Sales Network. The recognition evaluated the digital transformation achieved through Hitit Oxygen, a platform actively used by Pegasus Airlines.

Through this implementation, indirect API distribution channels, which represent 30% of Pegasus Airlines' total sales, were integrated into the Hitit Oxygen system. The process allowed the inclusion of 28 ancillary products and services in a sales network spanning 50 countries worldwide. Previously, these options were sold exclusively through direct channels. The Oxygen platform transformed airline retailing into a concrete commercial result by forming an integrated structure between direct and indirect sales channels.