East Air, the carrier operating out of Tajikistan, has selected Travelport as its first ever GDS partner. A new agreement signed between the two companies will make Dushanbe-based East Air’s content available to Travelport-connect travel agents worldwide. The airline currently operates flights to domestic destinations, as well as services to Kyrgyzstan and Russia. But the head of East Air, Anatoly Galunov, said the Travelport deal would help drive the airline’s expansion. “We have ambitious plans to open new routes and increase capacity in the next few years,” Galunov said. “Making our content available to travel agents, through Travelport, is a key part of those plans and will ensure we maximise the investment in our expansion.” “It is always great to be the first to break new ground, and we are delighted to be part of East Air’s plans for growth,” added Robin Ranken, Travelport’s head of airline relationships for Europe. “2013 has been a great year for our airline relationships as we bring more and more content to our agents, and deliver even greater value to our partners.” Travelport operates the Galileo, Apollo and Worldspan GDS systems. Source: Travel Daily