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On Tuesday Datalex said it had signed a major technology deal with Saudi Arabian Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the Middle East, carrying over 13 million passengers a year. The company claimed that the deal, its first significant contract in the Middle East, represents the beginning of an initiative by Datalex in the market.
The Middle Eastern airline has contracted Datalex to develop an Internet booking engine to connect to its own SARS reservation system using the Irish firm's products BookIt Consumer and BookIt Matrix. These booking engines provide support for Arabic, which is a critical requirement for this market.
The software will also link into Saudi Arabian Airlines' frequent flyer program, Al Fursan, and the product will be initially launched in the domestic Saudi Arabian market, which accounts for most of Saudi Arabian Airlines' sales.
"Datalex is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities and challenges presented by the Middle Eastern market, which will enable us to continue our strong growth within all sectors of the industry," said Neil Wilson, head of Datalex's sales and business development initiatives, speaking at the airline's global sales conference in Jeddah. "We have recently appointed Altar in Turkey as a value added reseller of Datalex's technology and are reviewing other distributor relationships throughout the rest of the Middle East," he added.
The new customer addition comes after Datalex released its Q1 results last month, reporting significant improvements in operating expenses year-on-year, after the firm was hit by the woes created in the travel industry following 11 September. Using US generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), the company said in mid-May that its operating expenses declined from over USD17 million in the first quarter of 2001 to only USD5.45 million in the three months to March 2002. Importantly, losses from operations also fell to just over USD4 million, down from over USD13 million this time a year ago.
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