Gulf Air, the national airline of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it would defer a proposed reduction in commission payable to travel agencies in the Gulf, that was due for implementation on April 1, 2003, to support the travel trade already severely affected by the regional tensions.
In line with IATA resolution 016, it was decided by the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) in the Gulf States, to reduce the commission payable to the travel agents on international airline sales from seven to five percent. The reduction, which was approved by all airlines operating in the Gulf market, would have come into effect from April 1, 2003.
“In the light of the present tensions, we believe it would be prudent to defer the implementation of this decision until the regional conflict is resolved, and the market has had a chance to recover,” said Ali Murtada, Regional General Manager, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East.
Gulf Air was founded in 1950. Today, it is owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain, Oman and the UAE, and is the only pan Gulf airline in the region. The airline’s network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 43 cities in 32 countries. The fleet is one of the most modern in the Middle East and comprises 30 aircraft. The airline is in the first year of a three-year strategic recovery program. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
