Officials and employees of various airline General Sales Agents (GSAs) have urged the government to retain the existing GSA appointment law, warning that its repeal would devastate Bangladesh’s aviation industry and threaten thousands of jobs.
Speaking at a human chain in front of the National Press Club on Sunday, participants said scrapping the law would cause widespread unemployment, facilitate money laundering through hundi, and disrupt the aviation market.
They said nearly 50,000 people are directly or indirectly employed through the GSAs of foreign airlines operating in Bangladesh.
Nabila, an official of Oman Air’s GSA Air Galaxy, read out a written statement at the event. Munir from Air France’s GSA Bengal Airlift and Rafiqul Islam from Saudia Airlines’ GSA United Link also spoke.
The demonstration came as the interim government is considering amending the 2017 Civil Aviation Act to remove the provision that requires foreign airlines to appoint GSAs in Bangladesh.
The employees warned that repealing the GSA appointment law to favour foreign airlines would deprive thousands of families of their livelihoods and weaken the government’s ability to ensure accountability and transparency in the sector.
They urged the authorities to protect national employment and financial accountability while safeguarding the interests of both passengers and aviation workers.
Speakers said GSAs play a crucial role as intermediaries between foreign airlines and local passengers, facilitating communication, service delivery, and grievance redress. Without GSAs, they warned, passenger harassment and service irregularities could rise sharply.
They added that abolishing the GSA provision would cause annual revenue losses of over Tk 100 crore to the government. Recalling earlier instances when airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Thai Airways, and
Air India operated without GSAs, they said the market then suffered from mismanagement, corruption, and long ticket queues—particularly hurting expatriate Bangladeshis.
They said the introduction of mandatory GSAs restored order by curbing ticket syndication and ensuring transparency.
“GSAs are not merely intermediaries; they are the operational backbone that ensures fair business practices and protects passengers’ interests,” one participant said. “Abolishing this structure will only benefit foreign entities at the expense of local jobs and oversight,” another added.
After the demonstration, representatives submitted memorandums 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, urging the continuation of the GSA appointment law to preserve national employment, economic integrity, and sectoral stability.
Since the enactment of the 2017 Civil Aviation Act, GSA companies have played a pivotal role in expanding Bangladesh’s aviation connectivity, helping attract new airlines and encouraging existing carriers to increase flight frequencies to Dhaka and Chattogram, significantly contributing to the industry’s growth.
