The Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh has called for urgent government intervention to stop ‘syndicate’ control in the air ticket market, which has led to abnormal fare hikes and created hardship for migrant workers and general passengers.
Despite government efforts to bring discipline to the sector, ATAB noted that an alleged syndicate groups, in collusion with certain airlines and agents, are manipulating seat availability to artificially inflate ticket prices on high-demand Middle Eastern routes, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah and Dammam.
Following excessive fare spikes between December and February, when tickets sold for nearly Taka 100,000 under group bookings and system prices surged to Taka 170,000-180,000, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism issued a circular on February 11 requiring passenger names, passport details, and copies to book tickets, which helped reduce fares temporarily.
However, ATAB said some airlines, including Egypt Air, Saudia, and certain budget carriers, are bypassing the directive by booking tickets under false names, later changing them close to departure, enabling syndicates to resell tickets at high prices.
‘This practice has resulted in the re-emergence of syndicate control over the ticket market, creating artificial seat shortages and pushing airfares beyond the reach of workers and general passengers,’ ATAB secretary general Afsia Jannat Saleh said in a statement today.
ATAB further claimed that some foreign agencies are receiving block bookings from airlines without passenger names and selling these tickets through local syndicates, using informal channels to repatriate the money abroad, contributing to economic leakage.
The association also pointed out that deliberate flight reductions by some airlines have aggravated the situation by limiting seat supply.
For example, Salam Air, Qatar Airways, Jazeera Airways, and Air Arabia have all reduced their weekly flights significantly compared to last year, with Salam Air suspending operations entirely.
ATAB stressed that without strict monitoring, full enforcement of government directives, and punitive measures, the ticket syndicates will continue to manipulate the market, harming migrant workers, travellers, and the aviation sector’s credibility.
The association urged the government’s intervene immediately to protect the interests of the country’s migrant workers and general passengers.
‘We request swift action to restore discipline in the air ticket market to ensure fair pricing and protect the interests of the public,’ ATAB said in the statement.
