DHAKA, Aug 4, 2025 (BSS) – The Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) has revoked its membership of Flight Expert, a major online travel agent (OTA), as its CEO fled the country after abruptly shutting down operations.

In a press statement issued today, ATAB said that Salman Bin Rashid Shah Sayem, CEO and managing partner of Flight Expert, allegedly locked the company’s office, disabled its website, and left the country on August 2, leaving customers, travel agents, and stakeholders in financial uncertainty.

An emergency meeting of ATAB’s Executive Committee held on Sunday evening recommended revoking Flight Expert’s membership, halting refunds for its issued tickets to protect victims, and alerting banks to avoid promoting excessive discount campaigns through credit card offers.

The association also resolved to support affected members through legal and administrative means.

“With no clear regulation, the OTA sector is vulnerable to repeated fraud. We urge the government to immediately finalise and implement OTA operational guidelines to safeguard the aviation and tourism industry,” said ATAB Secretary General Afsia Jannat Saleh in the statement. 

Flight Expert, established in 2016, had operated for nearly a decade as an OTA. However, like several other online travel platforms, it allegedly became involved in aggressive and unsustainable discounting practices, undermining market stability by offering airline tickets at significantly reduced prices, said the statement. 

ATAB said the company's bank guarantee stood at approximately Taka 50 crores, but it had also procured tickets from larger travel agencies for resale, further amplifying financial liabilities whose extent is still unknown.

“This pattern of operating at excessive discounts, manipulating market rates, and fleeing with customers’ money is not new. Other OTAs like Haltrip, 24ticket.com, and Let’s Fly had engaged in similar misconduct,” said ATAB in its statement.

It said that ATAB has long called on the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism to formulate and enforce clear regulations for OTAs to ensure transparency, accountability, and fair competition.