Air ticket market again ‘in grip of syndicates’: ATAB

The Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) has alleged that the country’s air ticket market has once again fallen under the control of syndicates, driving prices sharply up on major Middle Eastern routes.

In a statement issued on Saturday, ATAB said tickets on routes from Dhaka to Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, and Dammam sold for around Tk 100,000 under “group bookings” between December and February.

Prices listed in the global distribution systems climbed to Tk 170,000–180,000 during that period, it added.

Following public outcry, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism issued a circular on Feb 11 requiring all bookings to be made with a passenger’s name, passport details, and a copy of the passport. The move brought prices down for some time.

ATAB now claims that several airlines, including EgyptAir, Saudia, and budget carriers, alongside syndicate groups, have resumed using fake names to block tickets in bulk.

These bookings are then renamed and resold just days before departure at inflated prices, ATAB says.

The group accused airlines, global sales agents (GSAs), and ticket syndicates of violating the government’s directive by making advance group bookings without passenger names.

These actors are allegedly creating artificial seat shortages to drive prices up, severely impacting travellers and the travel industry.

ATAB also alleges that some airlines are blocking large numbers of seats through foreign agents, who then sell the tickets in Bangladesh via local syndicates and brokers. Funds from these transactions are reportedly remitted abroad through illegal Hundi channels.

Flight cuts have compounded the crisis. Salam Air, which operated 14 weekly flights last year, has suspended services entirely. Qatar Airways has reduced its flights from 21 to 14 per week, while Jazeera Airways now operates seven weekly flights, down from 14. Air Arabia has cut its weekly flights from 28 to 21.

ATAB warned that without strict enforcement of government regulations, constant monitoring, and punitive action, the ticket market risks returning fully to syndicate control. It urged immediate intervention from both the civil aviation and tourism advisor and the chief advisor.

It also calls for an investigation into whether airlines are deliberately reducing or operating smaller flights during peak seasons to create pressure on ticket availability.