Indian Fintech Player Paytm Partners With Skyscanner, Google Flights, Wego – India Report

India’s leading financial services company Paytm has partnered with travel aggregators Skyscanner, Google Flights, and Wego to enhance its travel segment offerings. 

In the January to March quarter this year, Paytm witnessed a 19% annual increase in flight bookings, while in April, its international ticket bookings increased by 15% year-on-year. 

Paytm’s Focus on Travel: Paytm has been focusing on enhancing its travel services recently, including adding features such as guaranteed seat assistance and tatkal bookings (emergency bookings) for its train booking segment. 

The company partnered with Samsung recently to offer flight and bus ticket bookings, among others, through the Samsung wallet. 

Last year, Paytm also integrated its new distribution capability (NDC) with travel technology solutions company Amadeus. The NCDx featured Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways initially, and the onboarded Eva Airways. “This integration offers artificial intelligence-powered capabilities, enhancing the booking experience by providing more tailored travel options and packages directly from the airlines,” Paytm said in a statement. 

The company’s travel division has brought on board 3 new airlines – Cambodia Angkor Air, SalamAir, and FlyDubai to its selection. 

“These advancements align with Paytm’s broader vision of leveraging advanced technology to enhance business operations and customer satisfaction across its service offerings,” the company spokesperson said. 

Ixigo Expands Partnership With PhonePe to Include Flight, Bus Bookings

Online travel company Ixigo has announced an expansion of its partnership with fintech platform PhonePe. With this expansion, in addition to train bookings, the PhonePe app will offer flight and bus bookings as well. 

Till now, the partnership included Ixigo’s brand ConfirmTkt to offer train bookings. The expansion will lead to integration of services from Ixigo Flights for flight bookings, and AbhiBus for bus bookings on PhonePe. 

In a joint statement, the two companies said that with this integration, PhonePe users will also be able to avail features and value-added services such as free cancellations and flexible bookings. 

Noida International Airport to be Delayed by 7 Months

The upcoming international airport in Noida is now expected to commence operations by the end of April 2025. In a statement, Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) said that the construction and development work at the airport is “at an advanced stage”. 

“Work on the runway, the passenger terminal and the control tower, is well advanced. In view of the current construction status, we expect to begin commercial operations by the end of April 2025,” the agency said. 

Before this, the project had a completion deadline of September 29, 2024. 

Uttar Pradesh to Market Buddhist Sites in Southeast Asian Nations

The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to market sites in its ‘Buddhist Circuit’ to Southeast Asian countries. The Buddhist sites located in Uttar Pradesh, Nepal, and Western Bihar witness significant demand from tourists hailing from Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. 

The north Indian state has several Buddhist sites including Sarnath, Kapilvastu, Kaushambi, Kushinagar, Shravasti, and Sankisa. 

Uttar Pradesh is investing INR 300 million ($3.6 million) to develop the infrastructure at Sankisa. As part of the development, the government will construct a boundary wall, install passenger sheds, water facilities, toilets, restrooms, and lighting at the Buddhist site. A Buddhist museum will also be constructed. 

Air India Express, Riya Group Collaborate for Visa Services

Budget airline Air India Express and travel conglomerate Riya Group have entered into a strategic alliance to integrate the travel company’s visa services on the airline’s website. The service is live on Air India Express.  

The move aims to allow the website customers of the airline to access and apply for visas to any destination. The integration will provide a one-stop solution for flight booking and visa application process, Riya Group said in a statement.