Private companies remove Aeroflot from global ticket-booking systems

The Texas-based travel booking software giant Sabre Corp announced on Thursday it has terminated its global distribution agreement with Aeroflot, effectively removing the Russian flag carrier from the "marketplace used by travel agencies, travel websites and corporations around the world to shop, book and service flight reservations,” CNN reported.

"Sabre has been monitoring the evolving situation in Ukraine with increasing concern," said Sabre CEO Sean Menke in a statement. "We are taking a stand against this military conflict."

Although Sabre has stopped short of suspending “automation services” – a move that would have a devastating impact on Aeroflot’s domestic operations – the airline has said that it will “will evaluate whether additional actions would be appropriate, taking into account legal considerations and any counter measures that could be implemented in response.”

Ultimately, however, aviation blogger and Cranky Flier President Brett Snyder believes the suspension of automation services would cripple the Russian airline’s domestic operations.

"Aeroflot would be forced to try to find an alternate vendor, but that is not something you can switch overnight. It would be highly disruptive, and if Sabre was serious about punishing Russia, it would be looking at ways to sever those contracts," Snyder said via email.

Having to find an alternate vendor amid Western sanctions would be nothing short of impossible as multiple companies have come out against doing business with Russia.

On Thursday, for example, travel technology company Amadeus said it had started suspending the distribution of Aeroflot fares in its systems.

"We will not sign any new contracts in Russia and we continue to evaluate our existing portfolio of work in Russia in parallel," Amadeus said in a statement. "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," the statement said.

Moves to take Aeroflot flights out of global distribution are the latest measures against Russia's aviation industry after the United States and the majority of its Western allies closed airspace to Russian aircraft. 

Earlier this week, Boeing and Airbus said they would no longer do business with Russian customers.