Sabre, Amadeus pull Russia’s Aeroflot from ticket-booking systems

(Reuters) – Travel booking software provider Sabre Corp said on Thursday it has terminated its distribution agreement with Aeroflot, hurting the Russian flag carrier’s ability to sell tickets.

Spain’s Amadeus IT Group SA has also begun suspending distribution of the state-backed airline’s fares in its systems, and said it has stopped new commercial projects in Russia.

Sabre said it was taking “immediate steps” to remove Aeroflot’s flight content from its global distribution system (GDS), a marketplace used by travel agencies and corporations to reserve flights.

GDS providers such as Amadeus and Sabre use software networks to distribute airline tickets.

“We are complying, and will continue to comply, with sanctions imposed against Russia,” Sabre Chief Executive Officer Sean Menke said.

In response, Aeroflot said it would continue to carry passengers, RIA news agency reported.

The agency quoted a spokesperson as saying Aeroflot was working with a number of other providers and had its own system which allowed sales agents to work directly with the airline,

Sabre and Amadeus are the latest in a wave of companies to cut ties with Russian firms in the wake of broad sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Sabre also said it would evaluate whether more actions were needed after taking into account legal considerations and any countermeasures that could be implemented in response.

(Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram in Bengaluru, Inti Landauro in Madrid and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Aditya Soni, Devika Syamnath and Jonathan Oatis)