New cloud to improve air travel

SITA has announced plans to create a community cloud for the entire air transport industry

SITA, the air travel IT specialist, has announced an ambitious plan to create a community cloud for the entire air transport industry.

The Air Transport Industry (ATI) Cloud programme aims to improve efficiencies and cut costs to airlines, airports, aircraft manufacturers and ticketing firms, according to SITA.

The ATI Cloud will provide infrastructure, platform, desktop and software-as-a-service applications and services. It will use SITA's existing global network and will go live in June.

"Putting an air transport industry cloud in place is not just about the technology but about business relevance," said Gregory Ouillon, SITA's vice president heading the ATI Cloud programme.

"By deploying new applications on virtual servers and by providing access to desktops in the cloud to its ground operations staff and partners, an airline will be able to adapt its IT to route expansion, disruption or traffic spikes at lower cost.

"Such deployments would normally take months but with the ATI Cloud all operators at the various locations globally will have their applications instantly."