Amadeus leads GDS market in Saudi Arabia

As per its half yearly figures for 2009, Amadeus achieved almost 39% of the GDS (Global Distribution Systems) market share in Saudi Arabia year-to-date in 2009. This achievement positions Amadeus as the sole market leader and preferred GDS provider in the Kingdom. (No 1 Position in KSA)

According to Eng. Nashat M. Bukhari, General Manager, Amadeus Saudi Arabia, Amadeus' innovative, result-oriented technology solutions and competent customer services are some of the key factors that have contributed to the company's success in the region. "Our focus has always been and remains on delivering Amadeus' core values to our partners in Saudi. We regularly assess the value that we bring to our partners and our efforts have always been to provide them with sustainable technology to support their business," said Nashat Bukhari.

Amadeus started operations in Saudi Arabia in 1998 and today is the chosen technology provider to travel agencies. With direct operations and state-of-art training centers in Jeddah, Riyadh and Al Khobar, Amadeus provides dedicated customer services and support on latest travel software such as fares and ticketing, flight and hotel reservations, car hire, etc.

Furthermore, Amadeus' long-standing partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines is a key market differentiator which allows travel agencies to have access to unique preferred treatments such as, airline's full range of content, Passenger Name Record (PNR) Claim functionality, etc. These features enable the travel partners to make bookings with increased confidence while providing efficient services to their customers.

Commenting on the travel partners' role in Amadeus' success, Nashat Bukhari said, "Our growth in the past six months is reflection of our partners' trust in our technology and services. We are committed to them and I'd like to congratulate everyone involved in contributing to Amadeus success in Saudi Arabia. Moving forward, we are confident and are strongly positioned to support our partners' unique business needs."

In recent months, Amadeus has also seen a rise in number of travel agency partners migrate to its platform. The company experienced organic growth through key partner migration including local travel agencies who have implemented Amadeus technology due to its extensive products offerings and services.

Commenting on the new distribution platform, Mr. Abdullah Abu Kamseen Director KANOO Travel said, "We chose to partner with Amadeus as their broad portfolio of travel solutions suited our needs and offered better business results. As a fast-growing travel agency, Amadeus offers us effective and competent technology with a track record that's proven both globally and in the region."

Most recently as a result of an agreement with 13 AACO leading carriers, Amadeus entered in a strategic joint partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines. As per this agreement, Amadeus Saudi Arabia has been appointed as the technology partner of choice of the flagship carrier, being also the exclusive distributor of Amadeus' products and solutions in the Kingdom.