Amadeus and Air India have signed a new distribution deal,
ending a protracted period of talks after the carrier withdrew its inventory
from the GDS.
In late 2018, the Indian government-owned carrier announced
it would be reducing its presence on GDSs and awarded Travelport sole
distribution rights of its domestic inventory.
Legal proceedings from Amadeus began in 2018, as it tried to
renegotiate the agreement, although the Spain-based company later dropped the
case.
Fast-forward a year, and the pair have now forged a new
relationship enabling travel sellers in India to access international content
and retailers in the rest of the world to access both domestic and
international fares from Air India.
Amadeus said, “In light of the agreement that we have now
reached with the airline, and in the belief that this agreement heralds the
start of a new and positive relationship with the airline, we have agreed to
drop the case.”
Meenakshi Mallik, commercial director for Air India, said in
a press statement: “We are pleased to renew our relationship with Amadeus to
support our growth strategy globally and hope that this is the first step in
our new journey together, we look forward to working closer with Amadeus to
support agencies and travelers in the future.”
Last week, Sabre announced that Air India content would no
longer be available in the GDS.
Sabre says it attempted to negotiate a new deal with Air
India for the “better part of a year.” The GDS was close to a deal last
October, but the agreement never went ahead.
Sabre adds that it will continue to work with Air India on a
new agreement.
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Source: PhocusWire