South African Airways outsources to SITA for five more years

South Africa’s leading airline, South African Airways (SAA), will outsource its domestic network services and its desktop and associated server support services to air transport IT specialist, SITA. In a five-year deal announced today, SITA will also establish a round-the-clock Command Centre for desktop and network management and will help the airline implement various transformational projects in information technology.

Phinda Ncala, Chief Information Officer, South African Airways, said: “In order to enhance passenger service and ensure we remain competitive in the market, we need to transform the way IT Operations delivers services to the business. This new agreement builds on our long-standing relationship with SITA, and will ensure IT and business alignment, while integrating new innovations and reducing our costs.”

As part of its desktop support services, SITA will provide a catalogue of services to automate delivery processes for authorized users, improving delivery time and quality. In addition, SITA will offer role-based profiling to ensure the airline is providing the right device and service to each user based on their specific needs. The agreement covers 130 international sites, 30 South African sites and more than 7,000 desktop and laptop devices. SITA will also support the airline’s high-speed, resilient domestic network.

Hani El-Assaad, SITA President, Middle East, India and Africa, said: “SITA is helping South African Airways virtualize, standardize and consolidate its IT environment in order to decrease operational costs and increase efficiency. We’re working together to upgrade the airline’s technology and to create new governance in its IT to ensure changes happen in a highly efficient and structured manner. At the same time, we’re collaborating on new innovations like establishing a comprehensive mobility capability and making the most of the airline’s WiFi networks.”

SITA has provided outsourced desktop and associated server and domestic network services to SAA for the last 13 years. This new agreement is an extension of the previous deal. SITA has partnered with Business Connection Limited (BCX), South Africa’s leading systems integrator, who will provide leadership in process standardization as well as technical support specialists. SITA is also working closely with HP, which will manage the airline’s data centre.

SAA is Africa’s most-awarded airline and flies to 40 destinations worldwide. In its domestic market, it has an extensive schedule operating 554 flights in total per week. Regionally, SAA offers 24 destinations across the African continent. SAA’s international network creates links to all major continents from South Africa through 10 direct routes and code shares, with daily flights from Johannesburg. The airline has won the ‘Best Airline in Africa’ Award in the regional category for 11 consecutive years. Mango, its low cost carrier, and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa’s most on-time airlines.