Amadeus reported that it processed 125.5 million first-quarter travel agency air bookings,

up 5.3 percent year over year and "outperforming the industry, which grew by 4.4 percent." By region, the global distribution system operator experienced the greatest percentage growth in North America, up 17.6 percent, due to "positive impact of industry recovery," according to the company. In Western Europe, which accounts for 44 percent of the Amadeus total, air travel agency bookings increased 3 percent. In the Middle East and Africa, regions where political instability stunted travel demand in the year-earlier period, first-quarter agency air bookings increased a total of 11.4 percent. Amadeus claimed that its global market share of agency air bookings rose slightly to 39.9 percent. Overall, the company grew revenue 9 percent year over year, including a 6.5 percent increase in its distribution business to €652 million (US$897 million), and posted a profit for the period of €179 million (US$246 million), a 9 percent improvement from a year earlier.