Airline Signs Three Year Contract with SITA SC for Domestic and International Data Network
Dubai, UAE - SITA SC, the only global communication services integrator dedicated to the travel and transportation industry (TTI), today announced that it has signed a three year contract with Syrian Arab Airlines ensuring considerable cost reductions for the airline and opening the door to next generation value added technologies.
As part of the deal, SITA's professional services consultants will be migrating Syrian Arab Airlines' current legacy network infrastructure to Internet Protocol (IP); a move that opens the door to new technologies that leverage the Internet - such as Voice over IP (VoIP) - while driving down costs.
"Migrating to an IP-based network will enhance the efficiency of our business applications and processes, improving both internal and external communications across geographical boundaries, and making us more competitive," said Mr. Nachaat Numeir, Chairman and Managing Director at Syrian Arab Airlines. "SITA's global coverage - with a local presence - coupled with its wide customer base for similar projects in the region made them a logical choice for us."
"Our main objective is to reduce communication-related costs for our members, effectively making them more competitive in the marketplace," said Hani El-Assaad, Vice President, Business Management, Middle East & Africa, SITA SC. "Syrian Arab Airlines is aware of the huge benefits entailed in IP which will enable the airline to deliver on a faster, more personal and seamless service offering that passengers are increasingly demanding. We are delighted to play an instrumental role in the airline's move to a more advanced technology platform in a cost-effective manner."
The deal includes the provisioning and maintenance of an Internet Protocol IP-based Virtual Private Network (VPN) for all international and domestic data communications. Syrian Arab Airlines will also be able to access applications online through ISNet, a SITA community network that provides all the flexibility and accessibility of the public Internet without the disadvantages of low quality of service and security issues.
SITA's professional services consultants will also be working with Syrian Arab Airlines to identify how the overall network expenditure can be further reduced, leading to the development of a clear road-map for the implementation of the IP VPN platform over the next three years.
"SITA's unique understanding of our business is reflected in the solutions they tailor to meet our specific needs," said Engineer Nibal Ismail, Director of Telecommunications & IT at Syrian Arab Airlines. "By migrating to IP now we pave the road for adoption of value added and cost saving technologies such as VoIP. We look forward to working closely with SITA on this important project."
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About Syrian Arab Airlines
Syrian Arab Airlines (SyrianAir) was established in the autumn of 1946. Since then the Airline has made significant improvements to operations and has expanded its fleet - with assets ranging from helicopters up to the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet. Today, the airline's fleet includes 16 aircraft carrying nearly 1.2 million passengers annually to over 50 destinations worldwide.
SyrianAir also provides ground services to all Arab and International airline carriers that land at Damascus International Airport, Aleppo International Airport and Latakia's International Airport. For more information, please visit www.syriaair.com.
About SITA SC
SITA SC is the only global Communication Services Integrator dedicated to the travel and transportation industry (TTI), providing consultancy in the design, deployment and management of complex communications solutions and reliably implementing, integrating and managing communication services. SITA SC is a commercially-managed not-for-profit organization, set up and wholly-owned by the air transport community.
Local, globally, SITA delivers solutions and services to the TTI and to international organizations and governments over the world's most extensive communication network. As a community of 600 airline and GDS members and 2,000 customers, SITA SC supports the TTI in driving down costs, removing complexity and improving operational performance. As a cooperative, any profit it generates is returned to its member customers. It is registered in Brussels. Further information can be found at: www.sita.aero.
For more information, please contact:
Sawsan Ghanem
Managing Director
Associate Member, The Chartered Institute of Public Relations, UK
Associate Member, Middle East Public Relations Association
Active PR
Tel: (971-4) 3900228
Mobile (971-50) 6256210
Fax: (971-4) 3904656
E-mail: sawsan@activepr.biz
Website: www.mepra.org
© Press Release 2005
