Gordon Wilson, president and CEO, Travelport
TRAVELPORT has bought over its third-party distributor in the world’s fourth largest economy, Galileo Japan, which previously belonged to a group of airline owners.
The acquisition allows the GDS to establish a consolidated Travelport Japan entity in the country, having operated in the market on a franchise basis for the past 30 years. Travelport will still offer customers a choice of Apollo or Worldspan platforms.
All former Galileo Japan employees, including managing director Yoshinobu Aoyama, will transition to the new Tokyo-headquartered Travelport entity. There will also be two satellite offices, one in Nagoya and another in Osaka.
Commenting on the acquisition, Gordon Wilson, president and CEO, Travelport, said: “The decision to transform from a distribution franchise to a wholly owned operation is commensurate with our goals to further expand our successful business across Asia.
“Japan is a major travel market and owning our operation here, whilst continuing our other successful strategic partnerships in Japan, will enhance our growth prospects in the country.”
