ALMATY – Air Astana has selected SITA to assure its general and operational communications needs, including communications with partners and advanced datalinks for air traffic control. This decision was followed by the announcement of a 13.5 percent increase in Kazakhstan’sair traffic in 2013.
“As Air Astana continues its growth, it is important that we have the right infrastructure in place,” said Vice President of IT &E-Business at Air Astana Chamindra Lenawa. “We use SITA because it offers excellent service quality and global coverage. Most importantly, because SITA is owned and operated by the air transport industry, the SITA team understands and responds to our needs very well.”
In the past few years, the national carrier has rapidly spread its services across the Commonwealth of Independent States(CIS) and Central Asia, becoming afavouredchoice for many throughout the region. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA,) Kazakhstan’s international passenger traffic is growing at 9 percent annually, making it the second fastest-growing market in the world.
“We are delighted to help support Air Astana’s expansion in this rapidly growing region,”Dmitry Krasnov, SITA vice president forRussia and the CIS said. “In addition, we are committed to ensuring that both Air Astana and the region have the IT and communications services they need, including developing our VHF and satellite communications network for cockpit datalink applications.”
Many major airlines, airports, governments, air cargo, aerospace and international organisations use SITA’s IT and communications solutions. They all rely on SITA’s expertise to facilitate communications needs and help keep the wheels of the industry in motion.
SITA Type B Messaging underpins every operational aspect of air transport, from commercial and flight operations to ground support, baggage and cargo handling, passenger services, booking availability and aircraft maintenance. SITA operates the largest messaging network, directly connecting to over 2,400 members of the air transport community, exchanging over 100 million messages a day.
The IT company services more than 400 airports around the globe, over 450 air transport enterprises and 2,800 customers in 200 countries. Its consolidated revenue in 2013 was $1.63 billion.
Some of the subsidiaries and joint ventures include OnAir, a developer system for mobile in-flight communications, CHAMP Cargosystems, an IT provider for commercial airlines and Aviareto, which offers aviation management solutions.
