SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–March 8, 2006–Founder members of the Arabesk Group, a commercial co-operation initially involving seven Middle East airlines, have formalised their relationship. This is the culmination of a year of preparation, during which Sabre Airline Solutions’ consulting group assisted the carriers in studying the viability of the project.
Articles of Co-operation have been adopted that set out the ways in which the founding members will work together for mutual benefit. They include sections on governance, membership criteria, dispute resolution, commercial activity, operations, financial obligations and ongoing construction of the group.
Sabre Airline Solutions has been appointed technical advisor to the group and will assist the airlines in executing the agreement. The carriers have already started co-operating on flights and each will have code-share flights and special prorate agreements (SPAs) with other members during the Summer 2006 schedule period.
The airlines involved are Egyptair, Gulf Air, Middle East Airlines, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Tunisair and Yemen Airways (Yemenia).
“I am pleased to have Sabre Airline Solutions consulting, together with our organisation, play an important role in developing this intra-regional co-operation,” said Abdul Wahab Teffaha, secretary general of the regional representative body, the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO). “The chief executives from the seven launching carriers demonstrated their clear support of the concept and removed all hurdles to bring it to fruition. The co-operation is already yielding benefits for the individual carriers and is demonstrating that this is a good path for the future, as well as providing value added service to the travellers through better market coverage.”
Nejib Ben-Khedher, president and managing partner of the consulting group at Sabre Airline Solutions, said: “The Arabesk initiative is proof that airlines in the same region can work together effectively, through ensuring that schedule co-operation occurs while allowing free and open competition. We’re confident that Arabesk Group will stimulate traffic growth in the region and improve the market share of each of the members. The early results have been impressive.”
Other airlines have expressed interest in membership and will follow an application procedure defined in detail in the Articles of Co-operation.
Sabre Airline Solutions has nearly tripled the size of its consulting business in the past three years, with the Middle East contributing significantly to this growth. More than 25 percent of the consulting business’ 2005 revenue was generated in this region. After a successful commercial assistance project with Egyptair in 2003 and 2004, Sabre Airline Solutions’ consultants supported Gulf Air in its recent return to profitability and are conducting a large turnaround engagement at Yemenia.
“Arabesk speaks both to our strength in the area of airline planning and to our familiarity with the Middle East region,” said Ben-Khedher. “We are proud of our partnership with the Arab carriers and want to continue supporting the community of airlines in the region to allow them to remain competitive and to capture a large share of the growth that this dynamic region is witnessing.”
About Sabre Airline Solutions
Sabre Airline Solutions, a Sabre Holdings company, is the world’s largest provider of products to help airlines market, sell, serve and operate from planning to execution.
More than 200 airlines use its broad portfolio of decision-support tools to increase revenues and improve operations. More than 100 airlines rely on Sabre Airline Solutions for passenger management solutions, while a similar number have turned to the company’s consulting group for strategic, commercial and operational advice. More than 500 contracts worldwide were signed in 2004 for Sabre Airline Solutions’ leading technology solutions.
Sabre Holdings (NYSE:TSG) connects people with the world’s greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
About Sabre Airline Solutions — Asia/Pacific (APAC)
Sabre Asia/Pacific’s head office is based in Shanghai, China, with offices/representatives located in Sydney, Auckland, Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Bangalore and Mumbai. In 2004, Sabre Airline Solutions signed 86 system contracts with airlines based in the Asia/Pacific region. Sabre Airline Solutions achieved growth across all key areas in 2004 including airline software applications, airline reservations and airline consulting engagements.
Sabre Airline Solutions, AirFlite and the Sabre Airline Solutions logo are trademarks and/or service marks of an affiliate of Sabre Holdings Corp. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. (C) 2005 Sabre Inc. All rights reserved.
CONTACT: Sabre Airline Solutions
Kathryn Hayden, 682-605-2252
kathryn.hayden@sabre-holdings.com
SOURCE: Sabre Airline Solutions
