Monday, 19 August 2013 00:00
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Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national carrier of Bangladesh, has signed a 10-year agreement with SITA to transform and manage its infrastructure as it prepares to double its passenger numbers. Under the multi-million dollar agreement, SITA will upgrade Biman’s global network and operational messaging and harness the power of the Air Transport Industry (ATI) Cloud to transform its workspace, helping the airline achieve substantial savings.
Kevin John Steele, Managing Director and CEO, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, said: “Over the next two years, we plan to double both our fleet and our passenger numbers, while also improving customer service and significantly reducing our operational costs. SITA will help us upgrade our systems architecture, which will enable us to launch new user-friendly products, as well as innovative tools for our staff. In addition, SITA will proactively manage our network infrastructure in line with our specific business objectives, so we can focus on our growing business, while remaining up-to-date with the latest technology.”
SITA will also provision infrastructure at the airline’s global locations and deploy a new PABX with enhanced functionality at Biman’s offices in Dhaka, which will be integrated into the airline’s call centre. In addition, SITA will offer flexible, on-demand IT services and industry software through the ATI Cloud. The ATI Cloud will deliver a comprehensive suite of standard and ATI applications, specifically adapted to meet the airline’s needs, to any location and any device. It will also create efficiencies across data, servers and applications, contributing to operational cost savings.
As part of the 10-year deal, Biman will introduce SITA’s CrewTablet, which will enable its crew members to use tablets integrated with its business applications to enhance inflight services to customers. CrewTablet allows crew members quickly and easily access passenger and operational data, making them more responsive and improving onboard operations. In addition, with use of digital forms and reports, CrewTablet helps reduce operational costs, creating fuel savings by decreasing the weight of traditional paper reports and manuals carried onboard.
The new agreement is designed to support Biman’s aggressive transformation plans and organic growth strategy, while enabling the airline to better manage IT costs in line with its business requirements. For example, all network charges will be based on the total number of passengers boarded.
Ilya Gutlin, SITA President Asia-Pacific, said: “SITA is focusing on helping the airline meet its overall business objectives through the effective use of technology. We will help the airline innovate and continually improve its IT and communications to support its ambitious growth plans, while also driving cost savings and improving service levels to meet both current and future business needs.”
