The Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) has blamed bulk ticket hoarding by airlines without passenger details for the steep rise in air ticket prices.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, ATAB President Abdus Salam Aref said that certain airlines block large seat inventories months in advance, creating artificial demand and driving up ticket prices by as much as 300%.
The ATAB president expressed deep concern over the growing practice of ticket hoarding by airlines, saying that it creates syndicates, leads to seat shortages, and causes ticket prices to skyrocket—rising by 20% to 50%, sometimes even doubling or tripling.
This, he noted, severely impacts overseas workers, students, and expatriates, who face significant financial hardships as a result.
He urged the government to take swift measures to ensure fair ticket pricing and transparency in the aviation market.
ATAB demanded an increase in scheduled flights and expedited approvals for additional routes. The organization also called for adopting an open-sky policy to attract more airlines to Bangladesh, ensuring greater competition and price stabilization.
To prevent ticket hoarding, the association urged authorities to enforce strict regulations requiring passenger names, passport numbers, and visas for all bookings.
Airlines were accused of blocking over 60,000 seats, which ATAB said should be released immediately to meet demand and lower prices.
The association recommended setting realistic fare caps for various routes and eliminating hidden charges on group or private fares.
It also stressed the need for transparent distribution policies, urging airlines to make tickets available through global distribution systems (GDS) or new distribution capabilities (NDC).
To curb monopolization, ATAB proposed limiting the number of tickets allocated to individual agencies and setting fixed fares for expatriate workers. Tickets should clearly display prices and agency details to prevent overpricing, especially for labour and Umrah passengers.
ATAB expressed concern about budget airlines charging fares comparable to legacy carriers, calling for investigations into their pricing practices. Comprehensive guidelines on airline sales and marketing policies were also recommended to protect passengers and ensure fair market practices.
The organization further proposed forming a task force involving the Civil Aviation Ministry, Bangladesh Bank, and other relevant bodies to monitor demand, address malpractices, and take corrective measures.
Such a task force would ensure coordination across agencies and tackle unfair practices by unscrupulous travel agents and airline staff, it said.
Earlier communications between ATAB, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism (MOCAT) have already set the stage for regulatory intervention.
On December 12, last year, MOCAT Deputy Secretary Roksinda Farhana issued a directive to airlines, urging them to avoid unwarranted fare hikes during peak travel seasons.
The directive emphasized the importance of affordable ticket pricing to ensure accessibility for passengers.
Following MOCAT development, on December 29, CAAB Director (FSR and IA), Group Captain Md Ahsan Habib, reinforced MOCAT's directive in a formal letter to airlines.
He stressed the need for competitive pricing and urged airlines to review their fare structures to promote trust and sustainable growth in the aviation sector.
On January 5, ATAB’s Secretary General Afsia Jannat Saleh, informed members that CAAB had instructed airlines to maintain ticket prices at reasonable levels.
The circular reiterated the importance of compliance with these measures to ensure fairness in the aviation market.
To address these issues comprehensively, ATAB proposed forming a task force involving MOCAT, CAAB, Bangladesh Bank, and other relevant bodies.
This task force would monitor market dynamics, tackle malpractices, and ensure the effective implementation of policies aimed at protecting passengers and fostering market stability.
The press conference was attended by ATAB General Secretary Afsia Jannat Saleh, former general secretary Zinnur Ahmed Chowdhury Dipu, and other ATAB senior officials.