Etihad Airways signed a ten-year tech services deal with IBM for around US$700m.
The agreement includes plans for the creation of a new cloud data center in Abu Dhabi. The centre to be developed and operated by IBM, will be one of the most sophisticated technology facilities in the Middle East.
The mobile solutions used will be developed under the Apple-IBM alliance.
The cloud, analytics, mobile, security and cognitive technologies will drive increased efficiencies said IBM and are expected to drive costs from the airline.
Etihad Airways’ current data center, IT infrastructure, applications and security operations will be migrated to the new data center in Abu Dhabi, and disaster recovery will be managed at an IBM Cloud data center in Europe.
100 Etihad Airways IT employees will transition to IBM.
Robert Webb, Etihad Airways’ Chief Information and Technology Officer, said: "We are confident that this collaboration will ultimately enhance our guest experience and reinforce our competitive position further within the industry."
Etihad carried 14.8 million passengers in 2014, and serves 113 passenger and cargo destinations.
The collaboration provides a global framework for technology service delivery for Etihad Airways and its Etihad Airways Partner airlines, including Alitalia, airberlin, Jet Airways, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles and Etihad Regional.
