INDUSTRY WATCH

travel , some airlines in the Middle East are more laser focused than ever in their pursuit of innovation . Following a recent expansion of its fleet , Turkish Airlines is now fuelling its vision with new technology . The airline has signed an IT deal with Amadeus that will help it deliver personalised offers to travellers across all platforms and devices .

According to Turkish Airlines , the new long-term IT agreement combined with a recent fleet expansion will take the airline into its next phase of international growth .

The Turkish flag carrier is aiming to expand its customer reach with a series of new shopping solutions from Amadeus ’ Offer Suite . These flexible and modular solutions will allow the airline to connect with new market channels and develop a future-proof retail strategy .

Most significantly , Turkish Airlines stated that it will be the first airline to adopt Massive Search , a solution which will help it deliver the most relevant and bookable fares to travellers .

Massive search capabilities are becoming more and more critical for the entire travel industry as digital infrastructure must swiftly deliver results in the face of rising look to book ratios , which have grown from 10:1 to 1000:1 over the last two decades .

“ These are exciting times at Turkish Airlines . Now , as the sector eyes recovery , we will push the bar when it comes to searching and shopping for our fares , delivering the content our travellers want in a quick and consistent way , no matter the channel ,” said Ali Serdar Yakut , CIO , Turkish Airlines .

Yakut said : “ Istanbul is at the crossroads between Europe and Asia , and our new hub inaugurated last year gives us more capacity to connect to new destinations .

“ The new facility will serve 200 million passengers annually , unlocking momentous opportunity for growth . Amadeus ’ trusted technology and solid on-the-ground support will help us reach our ambitions .”

Maher Koubaa , Executive Vice President , Airlines , Middle East , Turkey and Africa ( META ), Amadeus , said : “ This partnership with Turkish Airlines is a testament to our simple , agile and open approach that allows our partners to easily integrate our technology within their own IT ecosystem .

“ We look forward to further continue our work with the airline in the field of merchandising as we support the airline ’ s ambitions to deliver a worldclass experience to its travellers .

“ We are particularly proud to be part of Turkish Airline ’ s expansion at a time when Istanbul is reinforcing its position as a www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO

73