DUBAI/TUNIS SITA, the specialist provider of IT solutions to airlines and airports worldwide, recently announced the establishment of a joint venture with Tunisair and local partner, MEDSOFT, for the complete outsourcing of the national carrier's IT needs for the next ten years.
At a ceremony recently in Tunis during the AGM of the Arab Air Carriers Organization, SITA CEO Francesco Violante, said: "This is the largest outsourcing deal SITA has ever signed with an airline and provides us with a welcome opportunity to work with a progressive partner in the deployment of the very latest IT technology."
Nabil Chettaoui, Tunisair Group CEO and President, said: "This strategic partnership is a major milestone in the history of our airline, allowing us to leverage the knowledge and expertise of SITA, the only major IT provider owned by the air transport community. Our joint venture will be known as AISA - Aviation IT Services Africa - and will modernise our administrative and operational systems, reducing our costs through the smart use of the latest IT technology.
"I am also very pleased that Tunisair in the year of its 60th anniversary will become a showcase for the latest aviation technology in a region which is starting to embrace new technology such as e-ticketing and web-enabled passenger self-service for booking and check-in."
Tunisair's fleet of 30 aircraft is currently being renewed. In July 2008 Tunisair ordered 16 new Airbus and signed an industrial agreement which allows for the creation of 2,000 new jobs in Tunisia. Nabil Chettaoui, said: "In the current economic climate, this purchase order is proof to the air transport market of our confidence in our long term strategy."
Tunisair flies to 49 destinations averaging 55 flights per day. The airline carries 3.6 million passengers annually and had $825 million in turnover last year. Some 80 former staff of Tunisair have been transferred to AISA.
Francesco Violante said: "The creation of this joint venture underlines the success of our outsourcing strategy and builds on our achievements to date. There is no doubt that as the IT environment becomes more complex and challenging for airlines, outsourcing in partnership with a specialist like SITA becomes more attractive as it allows the airline to focus on growing its core business."
The CEO of MEDSOFT, Mondher Benayed, said: "This is a very significant business development for Tunisair and we are pleased to have been chosen as the local partner to actively move this joint venture forward. Tunisia is well known for the availability of good talent in the ICT sector. MEDSOFT will assign skilled local resources to work closely with AISA in order to become its privileged partner.
"Enterprise resource management is an area of particular focus under the IT Master Plan. AISA will be working on key areas such as finance and administration with a view to improving productivity across Tunisair, and MEDSOFT will play a key role in this area."
The IT master plan, which will be implemented by AISA over the next three years, will bring Tunisair's IT platform into line with international standards, upgrading existing applications and delivering new ones where necessary. It will cover everything from IT infrastructure to applications and integrated solutions that improve passenger processing and sales.
A specific focus of the IT Master Plan will be on integrated flight operations with a view to maximising aircraft usage while reducing fuel costs. Passenger management will also be addressed in order to take full advantage of direct channel ticket sales, reduce costs and improve Tunisair's overall competitiveness.
AISA is based in Tunis.
About SITA
SITA is the specialist provider of integrated IT business solutions and communication services for the world's air transport industry. SITA manages complex communication solutions for its air transport, government and GDS customers over the world's most extensive communication network, complemented by consultancy in the design, deployment and integration of communication services. Its broad range of airline and airport IT applications and services includes airport operations and integrated baggage services, common use and desktop services, flight operations and air-to-ground communications and end-to-end airline distribution and fares services.
SITA has two main subsidiaries: OnAir, which is leading the race to bring in-flight mobile telephony to the market, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the world's only IT company solely dedicated to air cargo. SITA also operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport community: Aviareto for aircraft asset management and CertiPath for secure electronic identity management. In addition, SITA sponsors .aero, the Internet top level domain reserved exclusively for aviation.
SITA covers 220 countries and territories and the head office is in Geneva, Switzerland. SITA had consolidated revenues of US$1.42 billion (€ 1.06 billion) in 2007. Further information can be found at www.sita.aero
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About MEDSOFT
MEDSOFT is a Tunisian ICT engineering firm, focused on providing quality software solutions, integration services, as well as consulting work related to business process reengineering and organization. MEDSOFT provides solutions in various sectors such as Banking, Transport and Telecommunications.
MEDSOFT has assisted several national companies in their modernization process and information systems reengineering, with respect to the new economic environment, characterized by an open market, a hard competition and a more demanding customer.
As a major ICT actor, MEDSOFT is always looking into reinforcing its local leadership, exporting products, services and know-how to neighboring countries, and becoming a key regional player.
About TUNISAIR
Established in 1948, Tunisair is today at the forefront of the world's safe and reliable airlines. Operating a young fleet of 30 modern aircrafts, it transports about 4 million passengers each year with a focus on both safety and quality. Tunisia is a major tourism destination. Tunisair is essentially a scheduled airline operating to European standards. At all times, security and safety have always been an utmost priority within Tunisair and have never been affected by the company's restructuring and cost reduction programs. Tunisair has always opted for continuous and permanent renewal of its fleet favouring state-of-the-art, safe and comfortable aircraft.
For more information, please contact:
Denis McClean
Director
Public Relations
Tel: +41-22-747-6824
Mobile: +41-79-2173357
Email: Denis.McClean@sita.aero
Mohamed Tawil
Senior PR Consultant
Tel : +971 (4) 3900825
Email : mohd@activepr.biz
© Press Release 2008
