Four aviation CEOs addressed the intense competition in distribution channels at the IATA Congress 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, and the potential disruption from generative artificial intelligence. A question from the audience described distribution strategies an arms race they say between airlines, intermediaries, OTAs each investing billions to control the customer relationship. The question was at what point does the industry admit that this war has no winner and who should blink first?
Con Korfiatis of Oman Air shared that he believes that there can be multiple winners it does not have to be one and that there are areas where he thinks the airlines should own it and we focus on those and there are others where we decide we go through somebody else or use another intermediary but he thinks the airline controls that and should control that.
Güliz Öztürk of Pegasus Airlines shared that she believes we are coming to the end of this discussion and that generative AI may take all the role of OTAs even the airline apps and we may be just operators at the end because you just once you just can make all your bookings everything make the comparisons everything through the generative AI apps why do you need any other type of apps.
She shared further that as the airline we are the operator the airline service after the travel before the travel at the airport still we are responsible and still we are the one who would make the experience of the customer satisfactory so we are there at an important aspect of our apps for example will be to again cater for the needs of the customer during the travel but the rest is she thinks we will see significant changes.
Con Korfiatis of Oman Air shared: I believe that there can be multiple winners. It doesn’t have to be one. I think there are areas where I think the airlines should own it and we focus on those and there are others where we decide we go through somebody else or use another intermediary but I think the airline controls that and should control that.
Güliz Öztürk of Pegasus Airlines shared: I believe we’re coming to the end of this discussion. Generative AI may take all the role of OTAs even the airline apps and we may be just operators at the end because I mean you just once you just can make all your bookings everything make the comparisons everything through the generative AI apps why do you need any other type of apps so that’s something coming now on the distribution side in the where does that come from.
