ChronoPay's E-Avia project vows to clear the last hurdle preventing Russian consumers from buying plane tickets online, the company's Vice President for Marketing Igor Zvorykin told reporters Monday.

Zvorykin, whose duties also include E-Avia project management, added that a reliable, risk-safe, modern online payment service was the sole missing part of the equation, which should see the number of those who book and buy their tickets online skyrocket in coming months.

«We are currently holding talks with major airlines and I can't name any specific companies before these negotiations are finalized, but we are close to signing first agreements,» Zvorykin said.

ChronoPay Chief Executive Officer Pavel Vrublevsky added that talks were under way with the airlines from Russia's top-10 fold, pledging to make the service available to individual buyers as soon as the first contract is signed.

«It may take less than a month from now,» Vrublevsky said.

Once it's launched, the service will also be available to travelers abroad wishing to fly to Russia.

Globally, a complete switch to e-ticketing is scheduled to take place on June 1, 2008, the deadline set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which has made the shift mandatory for its 240 members worldwide. Six Russian airlines — Aeroflot, S7, Transaero, Vladivostok Avia, Rossiya and Volga Dnepr — are members of IATA and should adapt to new rules accordingly. IATA controls 94 percent of global air traffic.

According to IATA, the world's developed countries have taken giant steps toward e-ticketing — the number of plane tickets bought online has sprung from 40 percent of all tickets sold in 2005 to 84 percent in mid-2007. By January 2008 the Web-based commerce is expected to account for 92 percent of all plane ticket sales in these markets.

On the other hand, Russia and CIS have been backwater markets, demonstrating slower growth than Africa (see diagram).

Up until now, the switch from paper tickets to e-tickets has been stalled largely due to the lack of a viable online payment system.

With the emergence of E-Avia that is bound to change, as the project offers comprehensive solutions to all relevant aspects of e-ticketing.

Security of payments, traditionally the chief concern for all parties involved in e-commerce, has been ensured by installing over 200 filters to control the purity of financial transactions. The security system supports all global standards for fighting electronic fraud, including 3D Secure and SecureCode. The platform's security will also be monitored by a risk department, which can manually check suspicious transactions.

As regards actual payments the system offers the widest range of options, accepting money in 158 currencies. Purchases may be paid by major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, DinersClub and others, as well as by means of e-money transfer, using both Russian and European payment systems (WebMoney, Yandex.dengi, Money Bookers, iDeal, GiroPay, ELV, C-Cash, etc.).

Vrublevsky said that ChronoPay would also try to clinch a deal with American Express' Russian acquiring bank Russky Standard in order to include AmEx in the list of accepted credit cards.

Client conveniences include a help-desk and a call center, available 24 hours a day all year round.

Advantages in working with airlines include the compatibility of E-Avia with all major global and Russian online booking platforms such as Amadeus, Sabre, Gallileo, World Span and Sirene. Moreover, E-Avia will tend to cooperate with those acquiring banks that suit the airlines most.

Moscow News Weekley