In last decade, the centre of gravity for aviation has clearly moved East. Economies in Asia Pacific have outpaced global GDP and aviation has both enabled that growth and benefited from it. IBS Software has helped airlines like the Emirates, Thai Airways, and China Airlines modernise their technology backbone so they can compete in a much more digital and data-driven marketplace. On the other hand, IBS SaaS platform helps hotel and cruise brands bring their distribution, pricing and operations together so they can grow direct relationships and reduce leakage through fragmented legacy systems.
Travel Daily Media connected with Gautam Shekar, Senior Vice President and Head of the Asia Pacific region, IBS Software, to know about growth, tech-trends and more…
Travel Daily Media (TDM): Can you share the growth story of IBS Software? Where did you start from and where are you now as a company? What is your impact and growth in Asia?
Gautam Shekar (GS): IBS Software was born inside aviation and has grown into a global SaaS partner for the entire travel ecosystem. In a little over twenty-five years, we have evolved from an airline-focused technology player to a cloud-first platform that supports airlines, airports, hotels, cruise lines and tour operators across more than forty countries. Our teams now span seventeen offices and over five thousand people, and they work with some of the world’s most recognisable travel brands.”
Asia Pacific has become the engine of global aviation, and our own growth has followed that shift. IATA’s latest figures show that Asia Pacific carriers now account for roughly a third of global passenger traffic and delivered more than five percent year-on-year passenger growth in September 2025, with some of the strongest load factors in the world. Intra-Asia journeys grew close to ten percent, led by markets like China and Japan. That is the backdrop for our expansion and for the long-term partnerships we have built with carriers across India, China, Southeast Asia, North Asia and the Middle East.
If you look at the last decade, the centre of gravity for aviation has clearly moved East. Economies in Asia Pacific have outpaced global GDP and aviation has both enabled that growth and benefited from it. We have mirrored that journey by investing in the region and by helping airlines including Emirates, Thai Airways, and China Airlines modernise their technology backbone so they can compete in a much more digital and data-driven marketplace.
TDM: What are the main benefits of cutting-edge SaaS technology in the travel industry? How have you helped script the digital revolution of the travel industry in Asia?
GS: Many airlines are still constrained by technology that was built for a different world. It is costly to run and painfully slow to change. Modern SaaS platforms give them something very different. They provide flexibility, lower ownership costs and tight integration with a wider ecosystem, so airlines can respond quickly to what travellers want instead of waiting for big, risky upgrades.
Today’s traveller shops on platforms like Amazon and books mobility on apps like Uber, then turns to an airline website that still behaves like a static catalogue. That gap is not sustainable. Cloud-native, API-first SaaS gives airlines the tools to behave more like modern retailers, with real-time offers, dynamic pricing and far more relevant ancillaries.
At an industry level, this is not just an IT refresh. Studies with IATA and McKinsey suggest that better retailing techniques could unlock tens of billions of dollars in additional value for airlines by 2030. SaaS is the practical way to reach that opportunity because it lets carriers move from rigid legacy stacks to open, intelligent retail platforms without disrupting day-to-day operations.
Our role has been to modernise that backbone with modular, cloud-native and AI-first platforms that help airlines improve profitability on one side and deliver more personalised journeys on the other. Those are the two levers that will define the next decade of growth in this region.
IATA data shows Asia Pacific leading global traffic growth with strong load factors and rising intra-regional demand. That creates both opportunity and risk. Carriers that embrace digital retailing and modern operations will capture loyalty and yield. Those that stay tied to monolithic systems will find it harder to compete. We are working with airlines across the region to make sure they land on the right side of that divide.
TDM: There are many benefits of selling corporate, group or multigenerational travel. How can your technology help turn group Holidays into Airline Retail Opportunities?
GS: Group and multigenerational trips have historically been treated as a single file sitting in a PNR (Passenger Name Record). With modern retailing, that same booking becomes a canvas for individual engagement. Airlines can understand who is travelling together, personalise offers for each person in the group and surface relevant ancillaries that suit a family, a sports club or a corporate team. That changes group travel from a volume play into a genuine retail opportunity.
When airlines have the right data foundation, AI can help them build tailored bundles around a group journey. The platform can suggest seat layouts, bags, meals, insurance, airport services and ground options that make sense for each traveller, rather than one-size-fits-all packages. That creates more convenience for customers and more diversified revenue for the airline.
TDM: How do you help travel facilitators grow their business in an increasingly digital and AI-enabled world?
GS: We treat AI as a core design principle, not as a buzzword. It helps our teams write, test and deploy code more efficiently, and it shows up in the products our customers use. For travel facilitators, that means smarter servicing, faster decision-making and far richer personalisation at every customer touchpoint.
On the front line, generative AI can transform customer service. It can understand intent, surface the right policy or booking information and resolve common requests without long wait times. In the background, machine learning optimises pricing and bundling, so the right offer reaches the right traveller with less manual intervention. That combination improves the experience and lowers the cost to serve.
For intermediaries, the real power of AI is that it keeps learning. Every interaction refines pricing models, merchandising strategies and service flows. Over the next five to ten years, we expect step changes in how travel is sold, from far more predictive shopping right through to proactive disruption management.
TDM: What are your offerings for the Airline industry that would help provide a differentiated customer experience?
GS: On the commercial side, our retail and reservations platform, iRetail, powers the full journey from shopping through to booking and fulfilment. It lets airlines move away from static fares and fixed ancillaries towards offers that reflect real-time context and the traveller’s profile.
Our loyalty platform, iLoyal, then builds on that by recognising each customer as an individual. It lets airlines use data about preferences, behaviour and status to shape every interaction. That might show up as tailored seat options, curated benefits or pricing that reflects a long-term relationship. These touches create stickiness, and stickiness is what ultimately strengthens profitability.
The industry conversation is shifting towards offers and orders and away from traditional ticketing concepts. We are deeply involved in that change. By aligning with IATA’s Modern Airline Retailing vision and frameworks like ONE Order, we help airlines streamline delivery whilst keeping the focus squarely on customer centricity.
TDM: What do you have for the hospitality sector and cruises to improve their revenue and market share?
GS: Hotel groups and cruise lines are facing the same customer expectations as airlines. Guests want simple booking flows, personalised stays and frictionless servicing across channels. Our SaaS platform helps these brands bring their distribution, pricing and operations together so they can grow direct relationships and reduce leakage through fragmented legacy systems.
By unifying data across stays, voyages and ancillary services, we help hospitality and cruise operators identify their most valuable guests and design experiences that keep them coming back. That might mean smarter packaging, better loyalty mechanics or more accurate demand forecasting. The outcome is the same. Higher revenue quality and stronger competitive positioning.
TDM: What has business been like for you in 2025? What’s new, especially in terms of AI for 2026?
GS: From a market perspective, 2025 has been strong. IATA’s latest numbers show global passenger demand up by more than three per cent compared to last year, with Asia Pacific again outpacing the rest of the world in both growth and load factors. That recovery in demand has gone hand in hand with a renewed focus on modernisation, and we have continued to grow with our customers across the region.
Looking ahead to 2026, we expect airlines to accelerate their move away from monolithic legacy stacks toward cloud-native, AI-powered retail and operations platforms. The industry is already talking less about simple digital enablement and more about true digital retail. Our roadmap reflects that, with investments in generative AI, decision intelligence and agentic workflows that help airlines act with far more speed and precision.
TDM: Where do you all have offices in Asia? Why should youngsters think of joining IBS Software? What proclivity would you look for in new team members?
GS: We support customers across all the major aviation markets in the Asia Pacific. Our model is not tied to one or two flagship offices. Instead, we place teams and capabilities where our airline, airport and travel partners need us. As the region continues to grow, you will see our footprint and our collaborations deepen across multiple hubs.
For young professionals, IBS Software offers the chance to work at the intersection of two dynamic worlds: advanced technology and fast-growing travel markets. Asia Pacific is forecast to remain the largest aviation region in terms of future aircraft deliveries and traffic growth, and we are one of the companies building the digital infrastructure that will support that future. It is a space with a real runway for learning and impact.
The people who thrive at IBS Software tend to share three qualities in spirit, even if they express them in different ways. They are curious about both the industry and the technology that drives it. They care about raising the bar on what they deliver. They value a collaborative culture that connects colleagues across geographies and backgrounds. Those traits matter more to us than any single line on a CV.
