July 05, 2002 - Air Kazakhstan press center

IATA Agency Accreditation Program
in Kazakhstan

The Air Kazakhstan airline, being the only active IATA (International Air Transport Association) member in Kazakhstan and having the status of National carrier of the Republic of Kazakhstan, permanently pursues in order to introduce the existing international standards and programs into the air transportation market of Kazakhstan.

Since 2000, our company has been conducting the preparatory and organizational arrangements to create the IATA Settlement System (Billing and Settlement Plan – BSP) in the region.

This System, which is based on IATA international standards, allows participating airlines to improve the financial control on sales of air transportation, to reduce their administrative and overhead expenses, as well as to satisfy the customers’ requirements in the best manner.

In order to BSP operating normally, it is necessary to have a reliable infrastructure of IATA accredited agencies (i.e. meeting to international standards). As the first step to establish the BSP in Kazakhstan, inaugural meeting of IATA Agency Program (Agency Investigation Panel - AIP) was held in Almaty on July 3, and the beginning of AIP activity within the territory of Kazakhstan has been declared. The meeting was held by Air Kazakhstan initiative as well as IATA and IATA member-airlines representatives concerned, operating in the Kazakhstan air transportation market, participated in it.

The following persons attended the meeting: Mrs. Valerie Jackson, Director of IATA Agency Accreditation Program, Mr. Dimitri Shamraev, IATA Regional Representative, Russia & the CIS, and representatives of the IATA Member airlines operating in Kazakhstan market: Lufthansa, British Airways, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Iran Air, Xinjiang Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Aeroflot and Air Kazakhstan itself.

This program has an independent status and assigned for accreditation of agencies by IATA as well as the further monitoring of their activity. All IATA Member airlines, operating in Kazakhstan market, will take part in AIP activity and management.

The obviousness advantage of implementing of the AIP IATA program is to ensure that agencies meet with international standards established by IATA, which are as follows:
 Agency's financial reliability and providing their due settlements with airlines on air transportation sales;
 Agency's qualified staff, which being able to provide quality services (booking and selling) for customers;
 Accordance of the agencies to a specificity of the professional activity (possession of an appropriate premise, equipment, security measures and appropriate storage of the Traffic Documents, etc.).

At the same time, the agencies accredited by IATA are able to obtain the following advantages: international status and prestige, IATA logo and brand, standard terms conditions of settlements, participating in the professional training programs, etc.

The above-mentioned scheme of BSP creation in Kazakhstan through realization of an AIP has been approved by Kazakhstan Civil Aviation Authorities and IATA Headquarter.