Do I need my own IATA licence to sell flights through your flight API, or can I start without one?

No, you do not always need your own IATA licence to start selling flights, but it depends on where the fares come from. Many agencies begin with flight content that sits behind a consolidator or a ticketing partner, so the ticket is issued under their accreditation and you act as the selling agent. That route lets you take bookings on your portal without holding a licence yourself.

You normally do need accreditation when you want a direct relationship, such as your own agreement with a global distribution system or a direct link to an airline. Those contracts are between you and that supplier, and they decide who they will sign, what guarantees they ask for and which markets they cover. We can connect our flight API to those contracts once you hold them, but we cannot obtain them for you or promise that a supplier will accept you.

Where your business is registered matters too, because the rules on selling air tickets and protecting customer money differ from one country to another. Your local travel trade body or your accountant is the right place to confirm what applies to you.

The useful next step is to tell us which markets and routes you want to sell and whether you already hold any accreditation, so we can look at which flight content is open to you now and what you would need in place later to issue tickets in your own name.