Syrian Arab Airlines leverage SITA's communications expertise; becoming more competitive and cost efficient

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."