Dubai, United Arab Emirates 28 September 2011, Iran-based carrier Mahan Air is supporting its expansion plans by signing a full content deal with Travelport, the business services provider to the global travel industry. Under the new agreement, Mahan Air's published fares and inventory will be accessible to Travelport-connected agents and available immediately for e-ticketing on both its Galileo and Worldspan systems. 

As part of the deal, the carrier has agreed to make its inventory available to Travelport agency subscribers at the same rates as the carrier's web fares. At the same time, the airline has upgraded its GDS connectivity on Galileo and Worldspan to Inside Availability to ensure real-time access to its fares and inventory. Other functionality upgrades include interactive seats, and real time schedule updates.

From its base in Tehran, Mahan Air operates domestic services and international flights to the Far East, Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. Established in 1992 as Iran's first private airline, Mahan now has an impressive fleet of 25 Airbus and Boeing 747 aircraft supporting a route network spanning 28 destinations and 12 countries. Mahan Air currently handles 13% of all international flights from Iran and 8% of all domestic flights.

Will Owen Hughes, senior director supplier services, Travelport Middle East and Africa, said: "We are pleased to ensure that with these system upgrades and Mahan Air's full content commitment to Travelport connected agents will enjoy access to their full range of fares and inventory, which in turn will maximise Mahan Air's access to our global travel agency network and help them achieve continued growth.  This enhanced partnership underscores the relevance of Travelport's GDS as the preferred booking channel for travel agents and airlines in all corners of the Middle East, including Iran."

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About Travelport (www.travelport.com)
Travelport is a broad-based business services company and a leading provider of critical transaction processing solutions to companies operating in the global travel industry.

With a presence in 160 countries, approximately 3,500 employees and reported 2010 revenues of $2.3 billion, Travelport is comprised of the global distribution system (GDS) business, which includes the Galileo and Worldspan brands and its Airline IT Solutions business, which hosts mission critical applications and provides business and data analysis solutions for major airlines.

Travelport also owns approximately 48% of Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW), a leading global online travel company. Travelport is a private company owned by The Blackstone Group, One Equity Partners, Technology Crossover Ventures, and Travelport management.

Follow Travelport on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Travelport     

© Press Release 2011