Role Overview

The Finance Head for Airlines is a critical strategic finance leadership role responsible for managing the complete financial operations of the airline business vertical. This position oversees all aspects of airline ticketing financial management including payables to airlines and Global Distribution System (GDS) partners, receivables from travel agents, full account reconciliation across multiple revenue streams, GST and TDS compliance, and comprehensive monthly Profit & Loss reporting. You will manage and mentor a finance team responsible for delivering accurate, timely financial reporting and strategic insights that drive profitability and agent satisfaction across the airline distribution network.

This role sits at the intersection of commercial operations and financial discipline. You will work directly with the Managing Director to shape financial strategy for the airline business, ensure regulatory compliance, optimize payment cycles to improve cash flow, and provide the financial intelligence needed to negotiate better margins with airline partners and drive improved performance with travel agent partners. The airline business represents a substantial portion of the B2B travel distribution revenue model, and the Finance Head will be the custodian of financial accuracy, risk management, and operational excellence in this domain.

The ideal candidate brings 10+ years of experience in travel industry finance, aviation finance, or complex B2B payment and receivables management. You must have deep expertise in airline accounting practices, GST and TDS reconciliation specific to the travel sector, and the ability to manage cross-functional finance operations while maintaining absolute accuracy in a high-volume transaction environment. This is a hands-on leadership role that requires both strategic financial thinking and meticulous operational execution.

Business Impact of the Role

The airline business in a B2B travel distribution model operates on high volume and thin margins, where financial accuracy directly impacts agent relationships, supplier negotiations, and cash flow health. Every day, thousands of travel agents book airline tickets through Etrav, creating complex payables to airlines and receiving streams from agents. The Finance Head for Airlines ensures that these transactions are accurately recorded, reconciled, and reported - preventing disputes, maintaining agent trust, and protecting the company from compliance risks.

Strong financial management in the airline vertical directly translates to improved margins, faster working capital cycles, better negotiating positions with airlines, and enhanced credibility with travel agent partners. By maintaining flawless monthly P&L reporting and full reconciliation across all transaction types, this role prevents leakage, identifies optimization opportunities, and enables the business to scale profitably. The Finance Head is also responsible for identifying cost reduction opportunities, optimizing airline settlement terms, and ensuring that financial systems and processes scale as the agent network grows.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic

- Develop and implement comprehensive financial strategies for the airline business vertical aligned with company growth targets and profitability objectives.

- Negotiate payment terms with airline partners and GDS providers to optimize working capital and improve margins while maintaining strong relationships.

- Work with the Managing Director to set financial targets, forecast airline business performance, and identify strategic growth opportunities within the airline ticketing segment.

- Build and mentor a high-performing finance team capable of managing increasing transaction volumes, implementing automation, and maintaining accuracy at scale.

Operational

- Manage complete payables processes including invoice receipt, verification, approval workflows, and timely payment to airlines and GDS partners while maintaining compliance.

- Oversee receivables management - ensuring accurate invoicing to travel agents, follow-up on outstanding payments, and minimizing Days Sales Outstanding while maintaining agent relationships.

- Execute full account reconciliation including GST reconciliation, TDS reconciliation, agent settlement statements, and airline commission verification on a monthly basis.

- Maintain internally audited monthly Profit & Loss statements for the airline business reflecting accurate revenue, cost of goods sold, commissions, and operating expenses.

- Implement and monitor monthly financial close procedures ensuring accuracy and timeliness across all transaction types and agent segments.

- Coordinate with travel agents and airline partners to resolve billing disputes, settlement discrepancies, and payment issues systematically and fairly.

Performance

- Achieve monthly P&L closure with 100% accuracy and zero material errors across all airline-related transactions within agreed timelines.

- Reduce Days Sales Outstanding for travel agent receivables by optimizing invoicing, payment terms, and collection processes while maintaining agent satisfaction.

- Minimize payment processing errors and disputes to below 0.5% of transaction volume, maintaining seamless relationships with airline and GDS partners.

- Identify and implement monthly cost optimization opportunities within the airline business resulting in measurable margin improvement.

- Ensure 100% compliance with GST filing, TDS submission, and other regulatory requirements with zero penalties or compliance issues.

- Generate monthly financial insights and variance analysis that inform business decisions and enable proactive management of airline business performance.

Key Performance Indicators

- Monthly P&L Accuracy: 100% accuracy in airline business monthly financial statements with zero material errors identified by internal or external auditors, measured through monthly close and audit processes.

- Days Sales Outstanding: Reduce average DSO for travel agent receivables from current baseline to a target of 30 days through improved billing and collection practices while maintaining agent relationships.

- Reconciliation Timeliness: Achieve full month-end reconciliation (GST, TDS, agent settlements, and airline commissions) within 5 business days of month-end with 100% accuracy.

- Dispute & Error Rate: Maintain payment processing errors and billing disputes below 0.5% of total airline transaction volume, tracked through incident reporting and resolution systems.

- Working Capital Efficiency: Improve the cash conversion cycle through optimized payables to airlines and GST input credit management while maintaining compliance, measured as days of cash-flow improvement.

- Regulatory Compliance Score: Achieve 100% compliance across GST filing, TDS submission, and airline reporting requirements with zero penalties, assessed through a compliance audit checklist.

- Finance Team Productivity: Deliver monthly close and reporting processes with the current team structure while reducing overtime and rework, measured through time tracking and process metrics.

Required Qualifications

Education & Certifications

- Bachelor of Commerce or equivalent degree with specialization in Accounts or Finance.

- Chartered Accountant (CA) or equivalent professional accounting qualification - mandatory.

- Advanced MS Excel proficiency with demonstrated ability to build financial models, dashboards, and analytical tools.

Minimum Experience

- 10+ years of experience in finance roles, with a minimum of 6 years in a leadership or supervisory capacity managing finance teams.

- Minimum 5 years of experience in B2B travel industry finance, airline industry finance, or similar high-volume transaction-based financial environments.

- Demonstrated experience managing full-cycle accounting including payables, receivables, reconciliation, and financial reporting in the travel or airline sector.

Travel Industry Specific Experience

- Working knowledge of airline ticketing accounting practices, commission structures, and settlement processes.

- Experience with GST reconciliation and TDS compliance specific to travel and airline distribution.

- Experience managing travel agent billing, collection processes, and agent settlement statements.

Technical Skills Required

- Complete proficiency in travel finance systems and GDS accounting interfaces.

- Ability to work with airline settlement reports, commission structures, and complex reconciliation processes.

- Proficiency in standard ERP systems used in travel companies such as Oracle, SAP, or similar platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with travel technology platforms and airline booking systems such as Amadeus, Galileo, or other GDS networks.

- Previous experience scaling finance operations within a B2B travel distribution model or similar high-growth environment.

- Experience implementing financial process automation, robotic process automation (RPA), or system integration projects.

- Knowledge of international airline accounting practices and multi-currency settlement processes.

- Prior experience working with internal audit teams and implementing financial controls frameworks.

Skills & Competencies

Technical Skills

- GST and TDS compliance and reconciliation in travel and airline contexts.

- Airline settlement processes, commission calculations, and financial accounting for airline ticketing.

- Account reconciliation across multiple transaction types, payment methods, and agent segments.

- Financial statement preparation and P&L analysis specific to airline distribution.

- Travel finance systems, ERP platforms, and accounting software used in B2B travel environments.

- GDS accounting interfaces and airline partner reporting system integrations.

Business Skills

- Financial leadership and team management with the ability to mentor and develop finance professionals.

- Stakeholder management across airlines, GDS providers, travel agents, and internal business teams.

- Negotiation skills for managing airline payment terms, commission structures, and supplier agreements.

- Strategic thinking around working capital optimization, margin improvement, and financial planning.

- Problem-solving and analytical thinking to identify and resolve complex financial issues and discrepancies.

- Communication skills to present financial analysis, variance reports, and recommendations to senior management and non-finance stakeholders.

Software & Tools

- Advanced Microsoft Excel including pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and financial modeling.

- ERP systems such as Oracle or SAP.

- Travel finance and accounting platforms specific to B2B travel distribution.

- Business intelligence tools for financial reporting and dashboard creation.

- Airline settlement and reporting systems.

Systems & Tools Used

- ERP platforms used within Etrav Tech Ltd for financial transactions and reporting.

- Airline settlement and financial reporting systems for major airline partners.

- Global Distribution System accounting interfaces and reconciliation platforms.

- Travel agency billing and receivables management systems.

- GST and TDS compliance and filing software.

- Bank reconciliation and cash management platforms.

- Financial analysis and dashboarding tools.