MONTREAL — Air Niugini, Fastjet, Indigo, LAM, MIAT, Sunrise Airways… these are lesser-known names in Canada, yet they are airlines that many Canadian travellers use each year.
None of them have an office in Canada, but all are represented thanks to AirlinePros International.
Founded in 1999 in the U.S., this general sales agent (GSA) provides representation, distribution, and commercial consulting services to the aviation industry.
Since 2012 AirlinePros has served as a GSA for airlines that operate in the Canadian market without landing here.
“The advantage of working with us is that we know our market well,” says Fadhila Boutalbi, AirlinePros’ sales representative in Montreal, in this new interview.
MORE THAN 70 CARRIERS WORLDWIDE
Mandated by IATA and the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) to help airlines access new markets, AirlinePros International also supports their sales and distribution.
Today, AirlinePros International’s global network covers 40 countries across 5 continents, serving and supporting 70 commercial airlines. No fewer than 24 of these airlines are represented in Canada.
“Our mission is to represent airlines with limited promotional resources or those that only need a minimal presence in a market, but don’t want to set up their own offices locally,” says Fadhila Boutalbi, the company’s regional sales representative in Montreal.
In fact, why try to do something others might do better given their expertise?
CANADIAN MARKET EXPERTS
“The advantage of working with us is that we know our market well,” explains Boutalbi. “For these airlines operating here, this is a significant advantage: if they deployed their own personnel, they wouldn’t necessarily know the market as well, and operational costs would be higher.”
Better yet: not only does AirlinePros know its market, but it can establish a presence in several cities at once. “When a carrier starts serving a market, it generally only sets up in the city where its planes land,” explains Boutalbi. “In Canada, we are present in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.”
SUPPORT AND CONSULTING
Generally, AirlinePros doesn’t handle direct sales. “We are mainly there to provide help and support to travel agents and tour operators,” says Boutalbi.
“We provide them with sales information, promote the airlines, and serve as intermediaries for special requests.”
Once an airline becomes known to travel agents and tour operators in a given market, the GSA’s role becomes more discreet, and it intervenes less often.
AirlinePros also acts as a consultant in various ways: for example, it can advise an airline on the level of commission to offer travel agents to stay competitive, or suggest entering a specific market.
“For instance, we represented Tunisair in Canada before helping them establish themselves in Montreal. I remember attending all the meetings with the director back then,” recalls Boutalbi.
Today, AirlinePros still represents the Tunisian national carrier, but in the U.S., where it does not have service.
A WELL-KNOWN GSA, BUT …
Although many industry players know AirlinePros and its services, there is still room for improvement.
“After more than 25 years, we are quite well-known by consolidators and large agencies, but smaller ones, including those specializing in the South and Europe, may not always know us,” notes Boutalbi.
To increase its visibility, the company maintains contact with travel agents and tour operators it already works with, but also conducts outreach to those who don’t yet use its services.
“Some agents sign up on our website to receive information, while others register on airline websites; in both cases, we can contact them and remind them that we are available,” explains Boutalbi.
Fadhila Boutalbi at the most recent SITV in Montreal, representing Kenya Airways
While AirlinePros mainly operates in the B2B sector, it sometimes helps promote an airline or even a destination indirectly.
“We regularly participate in public trade shows, sometimes at the request of a client, as we did at the last SITV in Montreal with Kenya Airways and Precision Air, two airlines we represent,” she says. “In these cases, we take the opportunity to talk a bit about the destinations served by the airlines we represent.”
CARRIERS NOT OPERATING IN CANADA, EXCEPT ONE
Of the 24 carriers represented by AirlinePros in Canada, only one operates a direct flight to Canada, and that started last year: the Italian carrier ITA, which operates seasonal flights from Toronto to Rome. No other airline in the GSA’s portfolio lands in the country.
However, some carriers have codeshare agreements: this is the case for Kenya Airways, which partners with Delta Airlines from Toronto. In this case, passengers take a Delta flight from Toronto to JFK, then continue to Nairobi on Kenya Airways with a single ticket for both flight segments, without worrying about luggage transfer – at least on the outbound flight.
From Montreal, the same scenario is possible with Qatar Airways and Rwandair, still in a codeshare agreement, headed to Kigali. “We represent a lot of African carriers, which is partly due to the company’s history, as co-founder Achma Asokan worked for Air Namibia for a long time,” explains Boutalbi.
INTERLINE AGREEMENTS
AirlinePros International also represents carriers with interline agreements.
This includes Air Canada and Kenya Airways, where each carrier is responsible for its flight segment, even though the entire itinerary is on a single ticket and luggage is transferred between aircraft in Paris and London, in this case. If the flight itinerary is altered, the passenger is automatically protected.
However, most carriers in the GSA’s portfolio do not have codeshare or interline agreements, which doesn’t prevent many of them from performing well in Canada.
“This is the case with airlines serving destinations where safaris are offered,” says Boutalbi: “Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, and increasingly Zimbabwe. One of the most popular routes in Quebec is the one between Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar airports, with the Tanzanian carrier Precision Air. The Kenya Airways route between New York and Nairobi is the most in-demand.”
Finally, some carriers represented by the GSA, such as Air Sénégal, could benefit from gaining more recognition, says Boutalbi. “There is a large Senegalese and West African diaspora in Quebec,” she says, “and this airline is not yet well-known among them because it doesn’t yet offer flights to Canada.”
TRUST & QUALITY: KEY VALUES
Not just any airline can become a member of AirlinePros, and carriers wishing to be represented must meet certain criteria: first, they must satisfy IATA certification requirements; then, they must earn the GSA’s trust.
“When we add an airline to our portfolio, we take on responsibility, so we won’t represent an airline that is not reliable, whether for safety or financial reasons,” says Boutalbi.
Recently, several new carriers have joined AirlinePros’ portfolio in Canada.
“The years 2023 and 2024 have been our best years,” she says. “For example, we now represent Starlux, a luxury carrier that connects Seattle and Los Angeles to Taiwan and operates interline flights with Alaska Airlines from Vancouver. We’ve also recently signed an agreement with Oman Air, which serves the Sultanate of Oman from London and Paris.”
With the growth in the number of flights worldwide and the promising outlook for the tourism industry in 2025, it’s likely that more carriers will join AirlinePros’ portfolio in the coming year.
The 24 carriers represented by AirlinePros in Canada are …
- Air Arabia (Morocco)
- Air Astana (Kazakhstan)
- Air Botswana
- Air Niugini (Papua New Guinea)
- Air Sénégal
- Cayman Airways
- Fastjet (Zimbabwe)
- Garuda Indonesia
- Indigo (India)
- ITA (Italy)
- Kenya Airways
- LAM Mozambique
- Lao Airlines (Laos)
- Loganair (Scotland)
- MIAT (Mongolia)
- Nesma Airlines (Egypt)
- Nile Air (Egypt)
- Oman Air
- Precision Air (Tanzania)
- Royal Brunei Airlines
- Rwandair (Rwanda)
- Starlux (Taiwan)
- Sunrise Airways (Haiti)
- TAAG Angola
WHO TO CONTACT IN CANADA?
B.C.
Vicki Culshaw: VCulshaw@airlinepros.com
Alberta
Gabriela Duarte: GDuarte@airlinepros.net
Ontario
Karl Muller: KMuller@airlinepros.com
Elvis Fernandes: ElvisFernandes@airlinepros.net
Arpit Handa: AHanda@airlinepros.com
Quebec
Fadhila Boutalbi: FBoutalbi@airlinepros.ca
Info: airlinepros.com
This article originally appeared at ProfessionVoyages.com, part of The Travelweek Group.
