Czech Airlines selects SITA as single network supplier

Czech Airlines, which carried 5.6 million passengers last year, today announced a four-year deal with aviation IT specialist SITA to become the single supplier of its global network communication and messaging services.

The agreement between the national flag carrier of the Czech Republic and SITA involves the evolution of their existing network infrastructure to increase performance while reducing cost by 25%. The new hybrid network which includes IP VPN, Internet service provider (ISP), DSL and SITA AirportHub connections, will serve 74 airport and remotely located offices. This hybrid solution ensures full back-up for all services in both the airline’s headquarters and remote locations. 

With SITA as the single supplier, the communications network can be easily adapted for the number of employees at each office, the different geographic locations and the targeted roll-out of applications and services. 

Jiri Devat, Vice President IT, Czech Airlines, said: “The selection of our network supplier was part of our cost optimization programme in preparation for privatization. We had specific goals when we reviewed our network needs including advanced solution design, competitive pricing and cost effectiveness and most importantly, robust service level agreements (SLAs).

“In terms of the SLAs they needed to include high availability, consistent service delivery and minimal round-up trip delay and packet loss. For all of these, SITA was the clear leader and came through as the ideal partner and single supplier.” 

Ilya Gutlin, SITA Regional Vice President for Eastern and Central Europe, said: “This major agreement, which comes at a crucial time in Czech Airlines’ history, will provide a robust and cost-effective solution for their communication network and messaging needs.

“The provision of this wide area network (WAN) based on a hybrid solution using IP VPN and ISPs, means that each application at each location gets the service level it requires in the most cost effective way. In addition, with our global footprint and by being the sole supplier, we can balance the traffic to ensure consistent and efficient delivery over all connections.”

 

Source: Transportweekly