TCS wins five-year contract extension with Virgin Atlantic
After nearly 15 years of successful collaboration, Indian consultancy firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and British airline company Virgin Atlantic Airlines have extended their partnership by another five years. The new contract involves the establishment of a centre of excellence in digital transformation.
TCS and Virgin Atlantic first formed a strategic partnership in 2004, when the airline sought to optimise its operations and establish itself in the Indian market. The airline inaugurated its first flight-path to India from London to Delhi in 2000, and has since expanded rapidly in the country.
Virgin Atlantic has formed partnerships with local airline Jet Ariways to offer double flight options on a daily basis between Mumbai and London. Over time, this partnership has grown to encompass other major commercial cities in India, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata.
Since 2004, TCS has been assisting Virgin Atlantic with investment strategies in the operational efficiency domain, including business transformation techniques that have helped improve the airline’s technological infrastructure. The consulting firm is well versed in the IT development and transformation domain, boasting one of the largest software development facilities in the country.
Moreover, the firm is also familiar with IT in the aviation industry, having supported Malaysian Airlines with a complete transition to cloud-platform Microsoft Azure. Over 200 applications were transferred during the project, comprising 80% of the firm’s IT portfolio.
In a bid to capitalise on the expanding travel and hospitality sector in India, Virgin Atlantic has now extended the partnership with TCS by another five years, with the objective of linking their airline services with their Virgin Holidays vertical that offers comprehensive vacation packages.
The integrative process will involve the establishment of a centre of excellence (COE), which will lay emphasis on digital transformation, agility, assurance and DevOps, with the end goal of improving customer experience.
Commenting on the contract extension, Don Langford, Senior Vice President of Technology at Virgin Atlantic said, “Customers rightly expect that our services are seamless, and our partnership with TCS will help us continue to provide them with the best experience when booking and travelling with Virgin Atlantic. We selected TCS due to its strong global presence, deep expertise in IT Infrastructure and transformation as well as its recognition for outstanding customer satisfaction. Through more integrated operations, we will be able to provide excellent customer service through various digital initiatives, while also supporting our continued growth.”
Global Head for Travel, Transportation and Hospitality at TCS, Siva Ganesan said, “Digital technology is transforming the consumer experience across industries, and aviation is no exception. TCS is committed to helping airlines seize opportunities in this new Business 4.0 era to deliver superior customer experiences through hyper-personalization, innovation and ecosystems that are connected, intelligent and agile. We are delighted to be Virgin’s strategic partner, as they continue their journey of pioneering change through digital disruption to further empower customers and drive innovation-led-transformation.”
