British Airways (BA) reportedly restricted inventory on Nigeria in the global distribution system (GDS) due to trapped $464 million from international airlines, according to the national association of Nigerian travel agencies (NANTA).
This was said by Susan Akporiaye, president of NANTA, in a message to TheCable on Friday, August 26.
A global distribution system (GDS) is a computerised network system that is owned or run by a business and facilitates transactions between service providers in the travel sector, primarily airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and tour operators.
Read Also: Momodu Reveals How Remi Tinubu Sought His Support For APC Presidential Candidate
The removal from the GDS has the effect of preventing travel brokers from making reservations through their portals, claims Akporiaye.
He said;
They closed inventory on the GDS only.
That means travel agencies can’t issue tickets from our portal but you can book online on their site that is why I said they did not stop sales.
Even if you go to their office they can’t issue a ticket for you. You only have the option of booking online.
Following early Friday rumours that the organisation had released a statement indicating that British Airways had ceased selling tickets in the country and planned to also discontinue its operations in Nigeria, Akporiaye made his remarks.
She clarified, however, that the airline was still selling tickets; rather, the inventory had simply been removed from the global distribution system (GDS).
No other airline has expressed a wish to leave Nigeria’s airspace, according to a statement from NANTA regarding BA’s suspension of operations in Nigeria.
The association said;
The national executive council of NANTA went into a business meeting with British Airways, where British Airways conveyed the assurance that it remains committed to servicing the needs of travel agencies in Nigeria.
NANTA as partners to all the airlines in Nigeria has taken it as a responsibility to visit the carriers to empathise with them concerning their trapped funds and to re-affirm our commitment as trade partners.
Aside Emirates Airlines that has made withdrawal notice public, no other airline has announced or expressed the desire to stop flying to Nigeria as far as we know.
