• Kora has joined IATA’s Financial Gateway to support airline payments across Africa through one integrated payment infrastructure.
• Airlines and travel agencies using IFG can accept cards, bank transfers, mobile money and local alternative payment methods via Kora.
• The partnership aims to reduce payment complexity, improve settlement reliability and support airline expansion across African markets.

Local payment collection and settlement have long been a challenge for airlines operating across Africa. Kora has announced that they are now part of IATA’s Financial Gateway (IFG), connecting airlines and travel providers to Africa’s payment ecosystem through a single integration.  The integration connects airlines and travel agencies using IFG to Kora’s payment infrastructure, enabling them to accept payments across African markets through a single connection. Available payment options include cards, bank transfers, mobile money and local alternative payment methods.

“Through Kora, airlines can accept payments across African markets using cards, bank transfers, mobile money, and other locally preferred payment methods, without managing multiple payment providers,” said in a LinkedIn post.

IATA Financial Gateway serves as the airline industry’s payment orchestration and management platform, bringing together global, regional and local payment providers. The system is designed to help airlines access the right mix of payment methods in different markets while improving payment acceptance and managing costs.

For airlines operating across Africa, payment processing has often been complicated by fragmented local payment systems, foreign exchange challenges, disconnected settlement structures and the need to maintain relationships with multiple payment service providers across countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt and South Africa.

According to Kora, the new integration is intended to remove much of that complexity by giving airlines access to its payment infrastructure through a single connection within the IFG environment. The company says this provides settlement reliability and local compliance capabilities that are important for large-scale airline operations.

The development comes as Africa continues to attract growing attention from the aviation sector. The continent is expected to add more than 300 million new passengers by 2050, creating opportunities for airlines looking to expand their presence in the region.

“Africa is not a market to figure out later. It is a growth opportunity that demands serious infrastructure today,” said Dickson Nsofor, CEO of Kora. “Our partnership with IATA signals that the rails are ready. Global airlines no longer have to choose between expanding into Africa and managing payment complexity. With Kora inside IFG, they get both.”

IATA currently represents more than 370 airlines worldwide. Through the new arrangement, participating airlines gain access to Kora’s payment infrastructure across the African markets where it operates. Commenting on the partnership, Kamil Al-Awadhi, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, said Kora’s participation strengthens IFG’s ability to support airlines operating in or expanding across African markets.

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