TRAVELPORT UGANDA ROCKED BY RESIGNATIONS
Not all seems well at Travelport Uganda, formerly Galileo, which once was the almighty CRS in Kampala, willingly or unwillingly, before Amadeus opened shop and, withstanding all character attacks, established itself as a credible, and much more friendly alternative.
After the reported resignation of Country Sales Manager Edward Brown Lwanga last month it now appears that Country Manager Stella Birungi Otteskov has also quit her job at the helm of the company. There is speculation she may be rejoining the aviation industry proper after some apparently intense contacts with an airline from a neighbouring country, and as such news can never be kept completely under wraps be sure to read soon where Stella will be heading and in what capacity.
Once unassailable in Kampala, when still trading as Galileo, Travelport has seen its market share reduced over the past years, with Amadeus in Uganda now at nearly 20 percent and climbing fast, while in the much more competitive and broader market in Kenya Amadeus leads by a nearly 55 percent margin. In Rwanda Amadeus is in an almost equal split of market share, inspite of the much later entry, and in Burundi, admittedly a much smaller market, Amadeus dominates with a nearly 85 percent market share. This gives Amadeus in the East African region an overall edge by what in horse racing would be described as a ‘short nose’, now able to take advantage in the Ugandan market by the rather unprecedented exodus of senior staff at Travelport.
Watch this space as another twist in the long tail of the Galileo / Travelport saga is unfolding.
