Amadeus’s agency sales growth contributes to 18% profit boost

Amadeus claims to have outperformed GDS industry growth of 2.2% in the first half of the year with a 5% rise in travel agency airline bookings.

Amadeus claims to have outperformed GDS industry growth of 2.2% in the first half of the year with a 5% rise in travel agency airline bookings.

The increase to 279.2 million air bookings helped the European travel technology firm lift profits for the first six months of 2016 by 17.9% to €494.5 million.

Revenue increased by 15.1%, to €2.27 billion and earnings [EBITDA] grew 16.5%, to €907.1 million.

Merchandising sales had a record first half, with an 80% increase in airline ancillary services sold through the Amadeus system, primarily through more than 30 global online travel agencies that are integrating Amadeus merchandising solutions.

President and chief executive, Luis Maroto, said: “The strong first half of 2016 is the result of the continued, solid organic growth of our core businesses, and the positive contribution of our recent acquisitions.

“Our distribution business continues to grow faster than the industry and its competitive position once again increased, to 43.2%.

“Our geographical diversification strategy continues to bear fruit and Asia & Pacific and North America are the fastest growing regions for Amadeus.

“We continue to invest in making the GDS the most efficient system for the distribution of travel products, as shown by the success of our merchandising solutions – 157 airlines trust us for the distribution of their ancillaries through the direct and indirect channels.

“We are confident that we can keep our strong track record going into the future, and look forward to the rest of the year with confidence.”