Virgin Atlantic Airways selects TCS to support Digital Transformation program

Airline signs multi-year partnership covering private cloud, Infrastructure-as-a-Service and IT support services

LONDON | MUMBAI, January 20, 2015: Tata Consultancy Services (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), the leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, has today announced that it has been selected by Virgin Atlantic Airways (VAA), one of the UK’s leading airlines, to provide fully managed services to transform and optimize its IT processes, applications and infrastructure. TCS will set up a private cloud for Virgin Atlantic and provide services including Infrastructure-as-a-Service, End User Services and Application Support Services across the whole of Virgin Atlantic’s technology landscape.

The initiative is a part of Virgin Atlantic’s strategy to invest in operational efficiencies and innovations to help it maintain its market leadership. The project will create a service that is easy and straight-forward to administer whilst providing VAA with a progressive, industry leading portfolio of IT services. Through this partnership, Virgin Atlantic will also gain access to TCS’ Airline and Digital Innovation Labs, facilities designed to support the development of solutions that address the changing needs and expectations of the new digital consumer.

“In order for Virgin Atlantic to maintain and build on our position as market leaders, it is vital for us to simplify our IT processes and create a technology landscape that is more agile and responsive to our growing business requirements,” commented David Bulman, CIO, Virgin Atlantic Airways. “TCS has strong reputation in the aviation industry and – from our previous work with the company – we know it to be a very capable service provider with world-leading expertise. We are delighted to enter into a long-term strategic partnership with Tata Consultancy Services. We look forward to working closely together to improve the experience we deliver our customers, through the development of new digital solutions.”

S Sukanya, Global Head and Vice President of Travel Transportation and Hospitality Unit, TCS, commented; “The rise of the Digital Consumer Economy is creating opportunities, and challenges, for businesses across all markets and industries. To succeed in this new era, organizations need to fully embrace a ‘digital by default’ approach. Virgin Atlantic has been one of our most valued clients in Europe and this deal has further strengthened the long-standing relationship between the two organizations.”

TCS has emerged as a clear partner of choice for airline companies looking to reinvent themselves in this new digital age. The company was recently selected for similar transformational leading airlines in Europe, Asia Pacific and North America.

About Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson 30 years ago after he decided the UK aviation industry needed shaking up and having some style injected back into it. On 22nd June 1984, Virgin Atlantic's inaugural flight to Newark took place, on an aircraft filled with personal friends, celebrities and the media.
Today, Virgin Atlantic flies to 34 destinations worldwide, including locations across North America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Far East.

Virgin Atlantic has enjoyed huge popularity, winning top business, consumer and trade awards from around the world. The airline has been awarded a Smart Technologies Award from The Wearables 2014 for its innovative trial of Google Glass and Sony Smart Watches in its Upper Class Wing. Other awards include best longhaul airline and best airport lounge at the Telegraph Ultra Travel Awards and Europe’s leading airline lounge for the Heathrow Clubhouse at The World Travel Awards. The airline was recently placed 8th in the UK Coolest Brands League and last year was named Travel Brand of the Decade.

Virgin Atlantic currently has a fleet of 39 aircraft which includes Boeing 747s, Airbus A340-600s, A340-300 and A330-300s as well as four leased A320s on Little Red routes. The airline took delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner in October 2014 and will have 21 of these aircraft in the Virgin Atlantic fleet by 2018.

About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that delivers real results to global business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS, infrastructure, engineering and assurance services .This is delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model™,recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, India’s largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 318,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $13.4 billion for year ended March 31, 2014 and is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange in India. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com.

Follow TCS on Twitter.