Airline distribution provider, Hahn Air, is creating an innovation node for companies looking to advance their innovative projects. Under the name Innovation at Hahn Air, the Research & Development Department led by Executive VP Mathieu Montmessin, is inviting startups and industry players to pitch their ideas, build a proof of concept (POC) or jointly develop innovation concepts.

Since its establishment in 2019, the Hahn Air Research & Development Department has been exploring trends, analysing new technologies and generating new revenue streams for the Hahn Air product portfolio. Innovation at Hahn Air will make the team’s expertise available to companies working on unique ideas and out-of-the-box solutions that potentially have an impact on the travel industry.

“Innovation is all about team-work, creativity and courage”, says Mathieu Montmessin. “We are therefore introducing Innovation at Hahn Air for potential partners that are interested in gaining knowledge, advancing their business and driving innovation. Innovation at Hahn Air will support with domain knowledge and a wealth of expertise gained from various proof-of-concept projects. Working together, we hope to make significant impacts for our partners and ultimately advance innovation projects for the travel industry.”

Among the current projects of the Hahn Air Research & Development Department are:

• Blockchain: Hahn Air is exploring the world of blockchain technology by partnering with Chain4Travel as a node validator.
• NFT: By working closely with TravelX, Hahn Air is building a POC to understand the value and capabilities of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) as a distribution model for airlines.
• Artificial Intelligence: Hahn Air’s AI-chatbot on Facebook Messenger is leveraging natural language processing (NLP) to enhance interaction with travel agents and passengers.
• Big Data: To assist in Hahn Air’s decision-making and forecasting processes, the company is using machine learning models and leveraging a variety of data sources, including human mobility, prices, timetables and events.
• Travel Distribution: Hahn Air is working closely with deep tech game changer biztribution to prepare for upcoming change and disruption in the industry’s distribution ecosystem.

The team is also looking into the potential of loyalty programmes with unlimited transferability by collecting and converting cryptocurrencies. More information about Innovation at Hahn Air can be found at www.hahnair.com/innovation.