Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa International) is among several airlines participating in a pilot programme of IATA's Billing & Settlement Plan (BSP) in Somalia, paving the way for a full rollout next month, the association said.

The BSP is expected to be open to all airlines and more than 300 travel agents operating in the country by the end of May, according to a statement issued at the IATA Focus on Africa conference in Addis Ababa.

"Somalia stands at a pivotal moment of transformation in its aviation sector. Growing connectivity regionally and globally underpins our ambition to revitalise the economy of Somalia and position Mogadishu as a transport hub on the Horn of Africa," commented Mohamed Farah Nuh, Somalia’s minister of transport and civil aviation.

"We commend the steps taken by the Somali government to modernise and rebuild its aviation infrastructure," added Kamil Al-Awadhi, IATA’s regional vice president for Africa and the Middle East. "The government recognises the significant economic benefits that air travel can deliver, and we are pleased to support them on that journey. Accelerating the implementation of secure, effective, and cost-efficient financial services is a key pillar of IATA’s Focus Africa initiative."

The BSP is a global system that facilitates financial transactions between IATA-accredited travel agents and airlines. It tracks and manages sales of air tickets and related financial transactions between more than 400 airlines and tens of thousands of agents worldwide.

In 2025, the BSP processed more than 700 million transactions across more than 180 countries, totalling USD242 billion.