The reservation system that is the backbone of airlines around the world has terminated its agreement with Russian government-owned carrier Aeroflot, crippling its ability to sell tickets.
Sabre announced on Thursday that Aeroflot will be pulled from its global reservation system, as its CEO Sean Menke said the company is “taking a stand against this military conflict.”
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The Texas-based software giant’s decision to end the distribution agreement means Aeroflot’s flights won’t show up on online travel agencies or other third-party sites.
“We will not sign any new contracts in Russia and we continue to evaluate our existing portfolio of work in Russia in parallel,” Sabre said in a statement.
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“At the same time, we continue to assess and evaluate the potential impact of international sanctions imposed on Russia and any counter-measures by Russia.”
Aeroflot is yet to comment on Sabre’s announcement.
The move is the latest significant measure against Russia’s aviation industry after most of the western world closed their airspace to Russian planes.
In response to the suspensions, Russian airlines are expected to cannibalise leased planes to keep others flying.
The Russian Transport Ministry said Thursday it might try to use three planes to run one, meaning it would save two planes for spare parts to keep one flying on average.
According to the ministry, that could keep Russian planes flying for more than six months despite the mounting sanctions.
