Japan Airlines (JAL) and Travelport will take ownership of Travelport Japan K.K. and JAL’s 100% owned subsidiary, Axess International Network, under a joint venture called Travelport Axess to operate a Global Distribution System (GDS) tailored to the needs of the Japanese travel industry.
Under the planned agreement, Travelport will hold a majority stake in Travelport Axess with JAL controlling the remaining stake and playing an active role in the joint venture.
The proposed joint venture is expected to be formed on June 1, 2019, following the signing of a definitive agreement between Travelport and JAL
Initially, Travelport Japan and Axess will operate independently with a gradual integration of the two organisations to commence later this year.
Travelport Axess will continue to offer travel agents services through Axess’ GDS platform and enable access to Travelport’s GDS platforms, Apollo and Galileo.
The proposed joint venture will also provide online, mobile and corporate travel propositions including global booking and expense management tools as well as access to New Distribution Capability (NDC) content for Japanese travel agencies and their customers.
“This announcement and our ongoing partnership with JAL is a significant advance in the provision of state-of-the-art technology for the Japanese travel industry,” said Gordon Wilson, president and CEO of Travelport. “We are very excited about the growth opportunities it presents for our mutual travel agency customers.”
Yoriyuki Kashiwagi, JAL’s general manager of international passenger sales, added that Travelport Axess “will be able to help Japanese travel agents to respond to growing global demands by offering services based on state-of-the-art technology.”
• Featured image credit: oneworld.com
