The National Aviation Company of India (NACIL) announced on Thursday that SITA, a company specialising in IT solutions for the aviation industry, has been selected to provide its hosted Horizon passenger services system (PSS) to Air India on a turnkey basis. The selection process followed a global competitive tendering process. NACIL, in a statement, said Air India would pay SITA $190 million over ten years.
Horizon provides hosted PSS services to 140 airlines carrying 120 million passengers worldwide. The system, by providing a single airline code, would facilitate “seamless integration of the former domestic carrier Indian Airlines with Air India for the first time since they merged in August 2007,” NACIL said. It would also enable Air India to meet the requirements for joining the Star Alliance.
SITA is to also implement an efficient online booking engine, departure control system, check-in and automated boarding control, baggage reconciliation system (BRS) and a frequent flyer programme, NACIL said.
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Arvind Jadhav, NACIL Chairman and Managing Director, said: “Implementation of the Horizon passenger services system will complete the merger of Air India with the former domestic carrier Indian Airlines.”