Amadeus reaches leadership position in the Middle East

As one of the fastest growing distribution systems provider, Amadeus reached a combined market share of 40% in the Middle East and Africa region in March 2009.

Amadeus delivers a wider range of superior technology to support travel agents in their day-to-day business challenges and issues effectively. In the Middle East, more than 15,425 travel agency point of sale terminals can make bookings on all of the Middle East Full Service Carriers through the Amadeus system.

Commenting on the company's growth and outlook for 2009, Frédéric Spagnou, Vice President, EMEA, Amadeus said, "The Middle East is a key strategic region for Amadeus. We want to play a supporting role in the region's growth potential and its future positioning in the worldwide arena. Amadeus will continue to invest in the Middle East."

"Today Amadeus is the only provider of technology and distribution solutions with a presence in virtually every market in this region after the recent opening of our operations in Syria and Yemen. Our continuous growth in the last 8 years, with a substantial rise in market share from 8% in 2000 to its leadership position today with 40%, has been possible thanks to the trust and confidence airlines and travel agencies have placed in our technology," he added.

In this context, Amadeus announced that Sharaf Travel, one of the largest travel agencies in the UAE, has successfully migrated to Amadeus distribution platform.

Following the migration, Sharaf Travel now has full access to Amadeus' industry leading front office platform and e-commerce solutions across all its outlets in Dubai, Jebel Ali, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and implant offices in many corporations.

The migration, covering Sharaf Travel's offices in UAE and Oman, was successfully implemented overnight and involved a team of 25 experts who supervised the entire process. This is further evidence of Amadeus' expertise in seamless migration.

"The travel and tourism industry is driven by new technology and as a fast-growing travel agency we understand the importance of collaborating with competent technology providers who have a proven track record. In this regard Amadeus has been consistently at the cutting edge of developments. We evaluated the different GDS options available in the market and found Amadeus to be the right fit. The move offers us greater value, better returns on investment and meets our business and customer service objectives,"

said Mr. V Jayaram, Managing Director, Sharaf Travel.

"Amadeus' resources, close partnerships, innovation and long term vision, in addition to our continuous investment in technology makes us unique in the travel sector. We are strongly committed to creating value and enabling success for our airlines and travel agency partners in the region," explained Fernando Cuesta, Executive Director, MEA, Amadeus.