GSA Guardians Gather: Airline Agents Rally to Retain Existing Law

Officials and employees of foreign airlines’ General Sales Agents (GSAs) formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club on Sunday, November 2, demanding that the existing law governing GSA appointments remain unchanged.

During the demonstration, participants displayed placards and festoons calling for an end to money laundering through hundi, ensuring accountability of foreign airlines, protecting domestic employment opportunities, and maintaining quality passenger services.

After the rally, the demonstrators submitted a memorandum outlining their demands to the Chief Adviser, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, the Ministry of Law, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Ministry of Commerce.

Speakers at the event said that nearly 50,000 people are directly and indirectly dependent on foreign airlines’ GSAs for their livelihoods. They warned that repealing the current GSA law to serve the interests of foreign airlines would lead to widespread job losses and undermine government efforts to hold foreign airlines accountable under Bangladesh’s existing legal framework, ultimately increasing customer harassment.

Nabila, an official of Air Galaxy—the GSA of Oman Air—read out the written statement. Others who spoke at the rally included Munir from Bengal Airlift, the GSA of Air France, and Rafiqul Islam from United Link, the GSA of Saudia Airlines.

Speakers emphasized that GSAs act as vital bridges between airlines and passengers, conveying on-the-ground realities to foreign headquarters—something that cannot be achieved through foreign country managers alone. They noted that since the 1970s, GSAs have played a crucial role in expanding the presence of international airlines in Bangladesh, even facilitating the launch of prominent carriers such as Pan Am, United, Lufthansa, and KLM.

Speaking on behalf of the GSA officials and employees, Rafiqul Islam stated, “If the existing GSA regulations are violated, the government stands to lose over Tk 100 crore in revenue annually.” Citing past experiences, he added, “When foreign airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Thai Airways, and Air India operated in Bangladesh without GSAs, there were widespread allegations of corruption, mismanagement, and long ticket queues—especially affecting expatriate Bangladeshis. After GSA appointments became mandatory, the situation improved dramatically, and ticket syndication was significantly reduced.”