Tuesday, 17 June 2008: Amadeus, technology and distribution solutions company, has been selected by 12 airlines from the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO) to be the single distribution partner in a 10-year agreement starting 2009.
The airlines in the distribution agreement include Air Algérie, Afriqiyah Airways, EgyptAir, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways, Libyan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Sudan Airways, Syrian Arab Airlines, Tunisair and Yemen Airways. These airlines account for 66 percent of travel agent bookings in the Middle East and North of Africa region.
“AACO’s strategy is to achieve the best possible cost and value structure for the airline members partnering with a leading-edge technology provider who has a strong global presence. This is the fourth contract of its kind in the past 17 years but by far the largest in terms of the number of AACO airlines involved and it delivers greater value for the signing carriers” said Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General of AACO.
“These agreements endorse our strategy to bring the most relevant airline content to travel agencies and also to provide the agents’ desktops with the latest technology. In addition, our infrastructure and continued investment in the region ensures we continue delivering the best on site support, to sustain the travel industry’s growth in the Middle-East, - one of the fastest growing regions of the world” said David Jones, Amadeus’ Executive Vice President, Commercial.
He added, “Amadeus global distribution reach and expertise paired with our comprehensive e-commerce and IT solutions offering were key to the success of our agreement with AACO. Furthermore, our continued investment in technology and our partnership approach to business were a perfect fit for the airlines. The recent inauguration of our regional operation centre in Dubai is a reflection of our commitment to these markets and partners.”
