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Global airline capacity is expected to exceed its pre-pandemic levels this year as millions of people return to the skies. According to Statista, about four million passengers boarded flights in 2022 — nearly a two-million increase from 2020. As global airline capacity continues to rebound from four long years of devastation wrought by the pandemic, finding new ways to streamline customer experience and employee productivity is key to optimizing the aviation industry.
Global commtech player Tata Communications and award-winning aviation company Singapore Airlines (SIA) have forged a multi-year partnership to future-proof the airline's communications and collaboration frameworks by upgrading its tools and moving to cloud-first platforms.
"Tata Communications' technology will empower the team at SIA to make informed and intelligent decisions and help them to optimize further," said Amitabh Sarkar, VP and head of Asia Pacific and Japan — Enterprise.
With a long-standing history of collaboration, these two companies now have an opportunity to position themselves at the forefront of technological advancement in aviation communications.
Tata Communications works across enterprises to power their digital transformation journeys with bespoke solutions. "Cloud-native design thinking principles are fundamental in how organizations build agility and create differentiation in the marketplace," Sarkar said.
As global enterprises adopt emerging technologies, industries like aviation and auto must prioritize efficient operations, environmental sustainability, and optimized performances. Major players are already pivoting to address this. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has launched a partnership with Tata Communications to digitally transform its organization, utilizing cloud-first technology and AI.
"The cutting-edge connectivity platform will help us build the world-class ecosystem we need to deliver modern luxury vehicles and remarkable driving experiences," said Tony Battle, JLR's group chief digital and information officer.
"Tata Communications has been working with industry leaders to build a future-ready, cloud-first digital fabric for its enterprise customers," Sarkar said. With Tata Communications' expertise, Singapore Airlines transitioned its communications from an on-premises platform to the cloud-based Tata Communications GlobalRapide platform, featuring fully managed services.
"The move allows for intelligent, automated, and cloud-first unified communications and enables SIA to create a hyperconnected ecosystem of crew, employees, and partners globally, across five continents," Sarkar said.
The SIA pilot and cabin crew collaboration platforms are powered by Tata Communications' MOVE™, which provides secure and pervasive cellular connectivity. The MOVE™ platform ensures the SIA crew remains connected across the airline's 130 global destinations.
For example, when aircrafts approach landing, this connectivity allows for the automatic exchange of updated information between the aircraft, system, and ground crews at the airport. This expedites flight turn-around times and improves on-time performance while achieving cost savings in comparison to alternative data roaming solutions.
The partnership also includes Tata Communications' product, IZO™ SDWAN, which provides intelligent customer call routing to SIA's global service centers. This builds a seamless customer experience, extending the excellence of onboard journeys and exemplifying a future where technological advancements deliver high value and performance, irrespective of time and place.
Singapore Air, frequently named the World's Best Airline, is renowned for its premium service, distinguished class offerings, and community engagement. For contemporary enterprises like theirs, catering to a modern audience requires a digital fabric with flexibility, scale, and adaptability.
Tata Communications is confident that this partnership is the cornerstone of a successful transformative journey that will deliver the customer service standards that Singapore Airlines is best known for.
"We are excited to be able to extend our partnership further to build for the future," Sarkar said. "When you work with the world's best airline, the sky is literally the limit."
This article was created by Insider Studios with Tata Communications.
