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Amadeus hails 5% rise in agency bookings and 10% revenue jump

Amadeus has reported a 10% rise in revenue and near 10% increase in operating profit year on year for 2014.

The travel technology giant recorded a 5.2% increase in travel agency transactions handled by its global distribution system (GDS) business, taking the total to 466.5 million over the year.

Amadeus’s IT Solutions business which services airlines saw a near 13% rise in passengers boarded to 695 million.

The company’s revenue was up 10.1% to just under €3.42 billion (£2.5 billion), with revenue excluding acquisitions in the year up 7.5%.

Amadeus’s operating profit (EBITDA) grew 9.9% year on year to €1.3 billion (£950 million), and by 7.7% excluding acquisitions.

The company reported an ‘adjusted profit’ of €681 million (£497 million).

Amadeus president and chief executive Luis Maroto said: “Amadeus’ results and focus indicate we remain a trusted partner at the heart of the travel industry.

“Our core businesses continued to showcase strength. We expect continued growth for [these] core businesses.”

Maroto reported gains in market share in GDS distribution “especially in North America and Asia-Pacific” and said: “Our long-term commitment to low-cost and hybrid carriers gained further momentum, with a 16% booking increase year on year and a landmark partnership with Ryanair.”

He added: “Asia-Pacific continued to be the main driver of growth for IT Solutions. This will expand with the scheduled migration of a number of Asian carriers in the coming years.”

Maroto hailed what he called a “ground-breaking Southwest Airlines domestic contract” in North America and said: “We expect annual ‘passenger boardings’ of close to one billion by 2017, an increase of 44% over 2014.”

He added: “Our recent strategic acquisitions – Newmarket International in the hotel IT space, UFIS in the airport IT business and i:FAO in the corporate travel IT segment – are already contributing positively.”

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