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​SAI (Supplier to Airline e-Invoicing) is an industry-led initiative extending the usage of one common invoice data standard . It will help airlines and their direct operating business partners to make the digital shift in their financial back office processes. The usage of digitalized and standardized financial data enables automation of the existing business processes and opens the door for innovation and future process transformation.

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Aligning the industry on one common data standard for invoices

SAI vision is to make machine readable invoices a reality at industry level. It requires the adoption of the same language and format to be used for invoice data.

This common language and format for invoices has already been defined by the industry and is materialized by the IATA IS-XML standard, a public standard already in use by an initial group of airlines and partners.

This will help airlines and their core business partners to introduce a systematic and robust financial back office process. It will simultaneously increase speed and quality of financial reporting and analysis, enabling a better informed decision making process.

​For Whom?

For airlines and their direct operating cost suppliers such as: airports, ATC’s, ground handling, engineering, catering and potentially other interested core industry service providers.

Why?

​Simplicity by using IS-XML standard

  • ​Airlines will no longer have to deal with different invoice formats as all invoices from their business partners worldwide will be received in the same consistent structured data format. This format will contain all the mandatory information required by the invoice receivers to reconcile and facilitate payment
  • ​Airports and other industry business partners will be able to use the same consistent invoice data format for their airline customers. The consistent use of this data format will allow to improve payment cycles as this pre-agreed invoice data format will contain all required information needed to action the payment process

Efficiency by using IATA SIS Service

  • The usage of the IATA SIS service is one gateway to exchange invoices between all core industry business partners. It optimizes the business connection to the industry for all parties and removes the need to set up and maintain multiple one to one connections between industry partners.

Comply with the industry standard

What you need to do to implement the IATA IS-XML Invoice data

  • Use one common language materialized in one common glossary defining all possible cost categories and aligning all parties worldwide on their definition
  • Use one common data format to align everyone on the same format to be consistently used by all parties. This optimizes the initial implementation effort as this setup will be used for all entities using the common standard

To start implementing this public invoice data standard download the IS-XML technical documentation.

IATA SIS (Simplified Invoicing & Settlement) service

The IATA SIS Service is the gateway for all industry business partners to exchange invoice data amongst themselves in an efficient way, and has been developed to support the IATA IS-XML standard with validations and data enrichment.

The IATA SIS service is a well-established core industry service that is provided by IATA for the benefit of the industry essentially on cost recovery basis.

More information on SIS service.