Despite having a charter airline component, 99% of Hahn Air’s business actually comes from ticketing, with 346 partner airlines onboard worldwide.

Director global account management Phil Collings said any agent with Iata accreditation could effectively start selling tickets via the company, which is already available to about 4,700 UK agents and has sold 35 million tickets since its inception in 1999. Collings explained: “In the past few years, we’ve ramped up significantly; we’re represented in 197 markets (globally), which is every market apart from China.

“What we essentially do is enable ticket distribution in all those markets if they are not represented in them themselves.”

Vice-president global account management Robert Jason Heerenveen added: “We are business-to-business and our core clients are travel agents managing traditional trips or OTAs offering bookings online.

“Not all airlines have an airline interline agreement with each other, but they can be combined on a single ticket.”

He explained the second leg of a dual flight is protected if the first flight gets delayed or cancelled, unlike if two tickets are issued for the itinerary.

Heerenveen said the other advantage was that tickets booked with partner airlines also have financial protection.

He added most recently this meant Primera Air customers who were booked via Hahn Air received refunds, even if they were ticket-only customers.

“It was all settled within two weeks… our insurance covers passengers for a sum to help them be repatriated,” he said.

Collings also explained agents using Hahn Air can book with airlines that don’t necessarily do enough business to make joining a GDS worthwhile.

“We have 318 airline partners around the world available in the UK,” he added. “We are always looking for growth and we want to maximize the potential we give.”