JEDDAH, 15 February 2005 — Elaf Group of Companies for Travel, Tourism & Hotels has recently been awarded the general sales agency (GSA) for Niger Air, the continental air carrier of Niger, serving Niger and West African region.
“Negotiations are in final stages for the GSA of another air carrier from Chad, already operating in the Kingdom under a bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabian Airlines,” said Moutaz F. Kayal, president of Elaf Group of Companies and president of the ASTA chapter for Saudi Arabia. This airliner will be serving Chad and the Central African region.
“Elaf Group’s strategy does not only put emphasis on acquiring some more airline GSAs in addition to those of existing seven major airlines but also on exploring the prospects for further Haj and Umrah operations as well as opportunities to increase the number of hotels managed by the group,” he said.
Kayal also said that Elaf Hotels Company was finalizing the management agreement for a four-star hotel in Jeddah, increasing the company’s portfolio to eight hotels in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah.
Elaf Travel and Tourism Company’s Haj and Umrah division had a “very successful” 2004. “Our achievements included handling 40,000 Haj and Umrah pilgrims during the year, while the tours division offered a great variety of tour packages to various popular destinations worldwide,” Kayal added.
