Iata issues – is there light at the end of the tunnel?

THE challenges South
African travel agents face
when dealing with Iata’s
Amman hub may soon be
resolved with the appointment
of a new Iata country manager
“within weeks”.
SA travel agents, who
have struggled in dealing
with Iata’s Amman hub to
resolve technical defaults
and amendments to bank
guarantees, have grown
increasingly frustrated with the
situation. Many reached out to
TNW late last year (see TNW
December 4).
Asata ceo, Otto de Vries,
said at the association’s
regional meeting in
Johannesburg that headway
had been made in talks with
Iata. “Part of the way forward
will be the rst of regular
teleconferences to take
place between Asata and the
Amman hub. It has also been
agreed that issues regarding
the Amman hub will now be
raised at the next PAPGJC
meeting to be held in Geneva
at the end of March.”
Spokesperson for Iata,
Chris Goater, told TNW that
Iata’s regional vp for Africa
and the Middle East, Hussein
Dabbas, would be travelling
to Johannesburg in early
March to meet with Asata and
introduce the new vp for Africa,
Raphael Kuuchi.
He added that the
appointment of a new country
manager for South Africa
was also on the cards in the
coming weeks. Chris warned,
however: “The process is still
ongoing. I know that the aim is
to appoint someone soon but
not at the expense of getting
the right person in.”