Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, today announced the appointment of Hazem Hussein as AACO (Arab Airline Carriers Organisation) Project Director at Amadeus.
Hazem will lead the Amadeus Airline Business Group team in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Syria, Egypt and Libya on distribution matters and will become the Amadeus interface with the AACO organisation.
In May 2008, Amadeus signed a 10-year exclusive distribution agreement with 13 leading airlines from the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO). The 13 airlines comprising of Air Algérie, Afriqiyah Airways, EgyptAir, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways, Libyan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Sudan Airways, Syrian Arab Airlines, Tunisair and Yemen Airways account for 68 per cent of reservations made by travel agencies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The agreement which took effect on January 1, 2009 offers the most relevant airline content and preferred functionalities to travel agencies to increase their competitive advantage in the market.
Hazem's previous positions in Amadeus were General Manager Amadeus Egypt, Airline Regional Director for the MEA region and Vice President, Sales and Account Management, Amadeus Multinational Customer Group, based in Chicago.
“Hazem is the perfect fit for this position. His commercial drive, cultural and regional knowledge and extensive AACO, Amadeus Commercial Organisations, Airline and Multinationals experience will add substantial value to the AACO Project", commented Sari Vahakoski, Director Markets, Middle East and Africa & Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, at Amadeus.
"He will define and implement the commercial travel agency strategy for the Saudi, Kuwait and UAE markets. He will focus on developing and growing business relationships with new and existing airlines and ensure that Amadeus fully meets the growing IT needs of its airline customers by helping them face increasingly challenging market conditions".
Prior to Amadeus, Hazem Hussein held several positions with IBM in the marketing and sales banking sector, and after that, the position of Regional Manager for Euronet WorldWide, managing Western Europe, Middle East and Africa markets. An Egyptian national, Hazem holds a B.SC in Electronics and Communications and a MBA from the American University in Cairo.
Amadeus is the chosen technology partner for providers, sellers, and buyers of travel. The company provides distribution, IT and point-of-sale solutions to help its customers adapt, grow and succeed in the fast changing travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (airlines, hotels, car rental companies, railway companies, ferry lines, cruise lines, insurance companies and tour operators), travel sellers (travel agencies) and travel buyers (corporations and travellers). Solutions are grouped in four solution categories – Distribution & Content, Sales & e-Commerce, Business Management and Services & Consulting.
Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters & marketing), Nice (development) and Erding (Operations – data processing centre) and regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires and Bangkok. At market level, Amadeus maintains customer operations in 76 countries covering more than 215 markets.
The company is owned by WAM Acquisition, whose shareholders are BC Partners, Cinven, Air France, Iberia and Lufthansa. Amadeus employs over 8,500 employees worldwide, representing 105 nationalities.
