Breaking Travel News interview: Decius Valmorbida, President, Travel, Amadeus | Focus
Breaking Travel News today speaks with Decius Valmorbida, President of Travel at Amadeus, to discuss how the company operates at the intersection of travel and technology. He explains how fostering collaboration and trust within the travel ecosystem enables Amadeus to deliver innovative solutions that streamline operations and empower stakeholders.
Elsewhere, he emphasizes the importance of collaboration between airlines, hotels, agencies, airports and technology providers, emphasizing that the traveler remains at the heart of their approach.
Breaking Travel News: How will orchestration within the travel ecosystem drive better traveler outcomes in 2026?
Decius Valmorbida: At the intersection of travel and technology lies a simple truth: travel only works when many parts move together. Airlines, hotels, travel vendors, airports, governments and technology providers each play distinct roles in creating journeys that span borders, systems and moments in time. As expectations rise for journeys that are simpler, more connected and more intuitive, the way the industry works together is more important than ever.
At Amadeus, our goal is to make the travel experience better for everyone, everywhere. This has shaped the way we design technology and interact with the industry for decades. As travel enters a new phase – defined by increasing complexity, digitalization and automation – we remain focused on the foundations that enable progress: collaboration across the ecosystem, trusted infrastructure at scale and open technology that delivers real results.
BTN: How does Amadeus’ work bring this vision to life?
DV: Travel is by nature an interconnected system. No organization can achieve a seamless process on its own. Each journey depends on the coordinated efforts of many players, each contributing their expertise at different points along the way. This reality determines how we work at Amadeus.
We take an ecosystem approach, bringing customers and partners together through open platforms, shared standards and interoperable technology. The goal is to better connect existing roles. Airlines, hotels, agencies, airports and other travel companies remain at the core of their relationships with travelers. Our focus is on supporting providers to remove friction for travelers through innovation and partnership.
What does an ecosystem approach look like in practice? An example is the way we collaborate with strategic partners. We work closely with companies such as Microsoft, Google, Adobe, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Tata Consulting Services, Accenture and others to develop integrations and joint propositions on our platform. This approach goes beyond individual partnerships to include sector-wide collaboration, including initiatives focused on areas such as digital identity and biometrics, where progress depends on a truly connected ecosystem. By embracing openness – and recognizing that innovation can come from anywhere – we help connect technologies and expertise across the industry, helping customers move faster and deliver better outcomes for travelers.
With this approach, the traveler is always central. Today’s travel is often fragmented across channels and touchpoints – before departure, during the journey and when disruptions occur. By enabling orchestration across the ecosystem, we help connect these fragments into more cohesive, end-to-end experiences. This approach is all about enablement: giving each player the opportunity to do what he or she does best, while improving the overall travel experience.
BTN: To what extent will artificial intelligence reshape the travel technology environment?
DV: As travel becomes increasingly digital and automated, trust and reliability are becoming more important than ever. The industry operates in a complex environment where systems must operate securely and consistently across borders, time zones and business models. In this context, trusted infrastructure is just as important as innovation.
Amadeus acts as a neutral execution layer for the travel ecosystem. In practice, neutrality means providing technology that is reliable, secure, and designed to serve a broad and diverse group of participants fairly. It means enabling interoperability and supporting many routes to innovation.
This role entails responsibility. At Amadeus we operate at the highest level of integrity. As new technologies such as artificial intelligence accelerate change, the need for strong foundations only grows. Reliable data, well-managed platforms and reliable registration systems are essential for responsible scaling of innovation. Our focus is on ensuring that new capabilities can be integrated into practice, supporting the sector as it evolves, while maintaining resilience and continuity for both travelers and businesses.
BTN: How important are open platforms for the future of the travel industry?
DV: Ultimately, customers choose technology because it works and because it delivers results that matter to their business and the travelers they serve. At Amadeus we believe in the power of our technology, the openness of our platforms and the value created across the ecosystem.
Our solutions are chosen by customers around the world because they support daily execution at scale. Long-term customer relationships are based on trust, performance and ongoing commitment. We consistently invest in developing our capabilities, working closely with customers across all regions and market segments to meet their evolving needs. By 2025, we will have invested €1.4 billion in research and development, which amounts to more than 20 percent of group revenue.
Openness is central to this model. Platforms built on shared standards and interoperability give customers the flexibility to innovate, differentiate and grow on their own terms. This combination – robust implementation, open foundations and close collaboration – enables choice and long-term value creation.
What do these principles look like in practice? An example from across our business is how we support airlines in the transition to modern airline retailing. As traveler expectations evolve and business models adapt, airlines are rethinking the way they serve customers along the way: how they can make travel easier, more relevant and more efficient. The goal is shared, but the paths to get there vary. Low-cost and full-service airlines operate differently and need technology that reflects this reality.
That’s why our aviation portfolio brings together two separate, yet complementary solution approaches. For carriers with simpler point-to-point operations, Navitaire Stratos offers an integrated solution. For airlines managing complex networks, multiple channels and high-touch services, Amadeus Nevio offers modularity and flexibility.
While there are differences in the solution offerings, they are built on the same cloud-native Amadeus Open Platform, combining resiliency, scalability and data-enabled capabilities. It allows them to choose how they evolve and the pace of that transition, all within a connected ecosystem.
More information
Learn more about how Amadeus is improving the travel experience for everyone, everywhere by inspiring innovation, partnerships and responsibility to people, places and planet on the official website website.
