10 I T NEWS Up in the clouds (1)
Air Malta is outsourcing its IT operations to SITA, and moving its infrastructure to SITA’s Air Transport Industry Cloud as part of a major information technology transformation which is designed to deliver useful cost savings to the airline. The six year, multi-million dollar contract includes the outsourcing of campus LAN/wi-fi networking, security elements and office automation servers, with the provision of new hardware including laptops and tablets supported by mobile services for improved employee productivity. SITA will transform the existing data centre into a virtual environment for services to be hosted within SITA’s ATI Cloud infrastructure. In total, more than 500 work stations and 20 tablet devices will be powered by the ATI Cloud. The ATI Cloud is a community resource, designed for all those involved in the global air transport industry. It is a unique service, offering all the advantages of cloud computing in a secure environment tailored to the specific demands of airlines, airports and other industry stakeholders.
Peter Davies, CEO, Air Malta, said:
“SITA is providing us with a unique solution, combining local and cloud- based services with the most up-to-date technology. Air Malta is undergoing a major restructure and this overhaul of our IT infrastructure is designed to deliver a minimum of 30% cost savings and a return on our investment in just two years.”
As part of the agreement, SITA will manage 40 different suppliers for the airline, covering management of its entire IT provision. In addition, Air Malta is outsourcing the complexity and controlling the costs of its e-mail and collaboration tools by moving to a SITA managed solution. These cloud services will ensure the airline effortlessly keeps its applications up-to-date while lowering its licence costs. In addition, it will migrate to the new service more economically than if it had updated its legacy system.
Up in the clouds (2)
Skynet Online, a company that provides an intuitive Web-based trip management tool for FBOs, operators and flight support companies, continues to grow and has recently aligned itself with other well-known cloud based systems in offering a flexible pricing scale which only charges users for what they need. With a main focus on automating routine manual duties that are necessary day in, day out, Skynet boosts efficiency to a new level, interconnecting the main
GROUND HANDLING INTERNATIONAL FEBRUARY 2013
sectors of the industry with streamlined communication and flawless trip set-up. “Increasingly, aviation businesses are
realising that the Internet can be utilised within their operation on a much larger scale than simply the use of e-mail,” declares Tim Gill, Skynet’s Managing Director. “That’s where we come in and our new flexible pricing structure will not only benefit the big boys but will certainly give smaller operations a modern, affordable system which is accessible anywhere - and allows them to portray a much bigger presence in what continues to be a very competitive market.” This move will certainly cause a stir among the small to medium-sized FBOs, who until now have not found a way of upgrading the technology within their operation without upsetting the accounts department. Full Skynet access is modestly priced, making the possibilities endless. Currently working on bespoke integration with two UK FBOs, Skynet strives to tailor its trip management system to each individual client in order to make the maximum impact in improving their daily operations, with time and cost savings at the forefront of every implementation.
IBS delivers the goods
Leading IT solutions provider to the global aviation industry, IBS Software, has entered into a contract with Lufthansa Cargo AG (LCAG), the airline cargo service provider in the Lufthansa Group, for the implementation of iCargo solution. The solution will manage the airlines’ entire air cargo movement worldwide. IBS was selected from among 400 solution providers after an intense selection process that commenced 18 months ago. The contract is one of the largest IT system deals by Lufthansa Group. IBS’ new generation iCargo system will replace the legacy Unisys based MOSAIK application which Lufthansa has used for the past 30 years. Once implemented, iCargo will have a user base of over 4,000 staff members and will interface seamlessly with a host of other system applications within the IT landscape of the airline. Lufthansa Systems will provide comprehensive consulting services during and after the implementation phase. The provider will also host the solution at its own data centre in Kelsterbach near Frankfurt and will ensure compatibility with the remaining IT landscape of Lufthansa Cargo. IBM is in charge of the system integration. iCargo will manage the key business functions of the airline - from sales processes up to the cargo terminal
operations functions. The real time availability of operational information through iCargo will help generate actionable intelligence which will vastly improve the overall utilisation of assets and improve revenue generation and operational efficiencies.
Babel and Embark applications in use in Japan
Damarel has continued to see further international expansion of its Babel CLF and Embark check-in and boarding applications. Firstly, TransAsia Airways has
introduced Babel and Embark at Japan’s Osaka Kansai airport to simplify and speed up check-in and boarding on its new route to Taipei. For long-term client Virgin Atlantic,
Damarel is currently rolling out an updated Babel configuration, enabling the use of Direct IP rather than the MATIP protocol, offering major benefits for the airline that include increased speed and cost savings. Finally, in an interesting addition to the Embark family, Flybe is now boarding its aircraft using Embark. One of Europe’s largest regional airlines, Flybe has so far installed Embark in 15 stations as part of an aggressive roll-out programme. Babel replaces traditional airline emulators with an intuitive graphical Common Language Facility, thereby allowing companies to maximise the value of staff whilst reducing overheads. Further, Embark is designed to improve the speed and accuracy of airline passenger boarding at the gate through the use of automated readers, 2DBC/ ATB2/self-boarding technology and hosts DCS passenger lists to give immediate Board/No Board decisions for maximum processing speeds and security.
Looking back on successful long- term take-ups
Amadeus has secured 20 long term IT agreements with ground handling companies in just 18 months since the launch of the Amadeus Altéa Departure Control System for ground handlers. Once these 20 customers are fully migrated to the new platform (by 2015), Amadeus will be processing over 85m passengers boarded per year through this solution. Swissport International, along with
SATS, which was coincidentally Amadeus’ first Asian customer for this solution, are two of the latest companies to join the Amadeus Altéa family. Both Swissport, for its operations in European airports, and SATS, will go through a phased migration process that was set to get underway at the beginning of 2013.
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