Marko Javornik, general manager, Voyego. Image: Comtrade
Marko Javornik explains why Comtrade is embarking on a new journey with Voyego, a dedicated travel and mobility software division.
Comtrade Group has launched a standalone travel and mobility division called Voyego, a 250-person team that will be headquartered in Dublin and Berlin. This division is solely focused on providing software solutions for the airline and ground mobility industries, and has been revealed with high expectations in terms of revenue growth and job creation over the next three years.
Marko Javornik, general manager of Voyego, is a driving force behind this new strand of the Comtrade business. He founded the Digital Transportation Lab, which will test new business models and emerging technologies from this group, and served as GM of the mobility and travel department within Comtrade, from which Voyego has evolved. It’s a solid launch pad for the new division, which will continue key partnerships already formed with leading industry clients such as Ryanair, Aer Lingus and Daimler.
“We have enjoyed incredible success with our travel and mobility department, particularly over the last year, and it’s time to take this to the next level through the Voyego team,” said Javornik on announcing the new division. “Innovation is the way forward in this industry – be that improving passenger interfaces, streamlining payment processes or reducing time to market.”
Javornik answered further questions on Voyego and its future plans below.
‘For the next while our focus will primarily be on Dublin as a booming centre for airline and travel companies’
– MARKO JAVORNIK
What is Voyego?
Voyego is an evolution of the successful travel and mobility department within the Comtrade Group. It is now a standalone division, with a highly experienced team, that is solely dedicated to the mobility and travel sector. It is a commitment from us to build domain knowledge and expertise so we can work with airlines and ground mobility companies to overcome the issues they’re facing. That could mean a new mobile app to enhance the user experience for airline customers or a fleet-sharing platform for a ground mobility company which has launched a car-sharing initiative.
It is also a commitment to research and develop new solutions and business models through our Digital Transportation Lab. This lab will test and explore new technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain and chatbots. Therefore, Voyego will not only provide solutions to meet current industry requirements, it will also explore what the next step is for airlines and ground mobility organisations (which include car-sharing companies and organisations leading the way in vehicle automation) and help accelerate their progression.
Why has this standalone division been launched?
Historically, as a company, the Comtrade Group is very strong in terms of software technology development and this will remain our primary focus. However, we have to go further than this.
Today, users are much closer to data centres and digital technologies. Everyone has mobile devices which are connected all the time. At any point in time, from anywhere, people can jump online to book flights or check in. In order for us to be a good partner to airline and ground mobility providers, we recognise the need for us to thoroughly understand and be fully engrossed in what is an extremely progressive industry, including the challenges and opportunities facing companies in the field.
Voyego is the rebranding of the travel and mobility division within Comtrade Group and it will focus specifically on this industry vertical, exploring how to apply the best practices of the digital economy and implement the most innovative software technology in order to benefit our customers.
What are the objectives of Voyego?
The mobility and travel division within Comtrade Digital Services enjoyed 40pc revenue growth in the last year and we expect this rate of growth to continue with Voyego. Once the new solutions we’re investing in hit the market, we hope to grow Voyego to the next level.
The aim is to double our revenues within the next three years, and we are confident about this because both the airline and ground mobility industries are ripe for digital technology investment. For example, airlines are in a unique position within the travel ecosystem because they are orchestrators of the travel journey. This has the potential to generate significant ancillary revenues that they’re not touching at the moment. We have created our own platform, Adnexa, which enables airlines such as Ryanair to tap into these additional revenue streams by targeting passengers with relevant advertising content via channels such as boarding passes and in-flight entertainment.
Meanwhile, the ground mobility market is also evolving at pace with increasing levels of disruption within the industry. For example, privately owned cars will slowly be replaced by mobility solutions such as car-sharing services or automated vehicles. We are positioned strongly to come out with some innovative solutions to facilitate changes in this area.
What do you see as the key opportunity in this sector?
Airlines are a primary focus for us at the moment. It’s an industry that is facing massive challenges, with increased competition and rising fuel costs. There is a lot of pressure to stand out but also deliver more value for passengers and build loyalty.
Our approach in this area is threefold. Firstly, we are focusing on payment solutions as this is one of the biggest frictions of the customer journey. We have developed a set of solutions that address this, whilst also improving internal efficiency and enabling greater flexibility for airlines. The second stream within this sector relates to the user experience and creating responsive user interfaces. Thirdly, with Adnexa, creating new ancillary revenues for airlines.
We believe that airlines have a big need, which is why we’re so optimistic about the possibility of Voyego, and for the next while our focus will primarily be on Dublin as a booming centre for airline and travel companies.
What role will Voyego have in terms of the wider Comtrade Group?
The fact that Voyego has evolved into its own business unit shows that there are high expectations for growth and success, as it looks to develop significantly in the next year and beyond. It is important to have autonomy within the industry and we expect that Voyego will be able to contribute a great deal to the wider group. The team will consist of existing employees with a wealth of expertise and will have headquarters in Dublin and Berlin, as we feel these locations are ideal in terms of approaching and servicing the market.
What is unique is that Voyego will be helping airlines and ground mobility providers to address current challenges with innovative software solutions, including exploring new technologies and business models via the Digital Transportation Lab.
Will you be growing the Voyego team?
Approximately 250 people from the Comtrade Group will be joining Voyego but we are also hiring at the moment and expect this to continue. The predicted growth in revenues over the next three years will include job creation in Ireland and internationally.
Where do you see Voyego in five years’ time?
In five years’ time, we hope that it will be clearly identified as one of the leading solution providers and innovators for the airline and ground mobility industries. To be more specific, we want to be one of the key players in facilitating the digitalisation of the travel and mobility industry on a global scale.
