Air India shifts IT infra to cloud, shuts down legacy data centres

Indian carrier Air India announced on Tuesday that it has migrated its computational workload to the Cloud and shut down its two data centres in New Delhi and Mumbai. The move is expected to save Air India $1 million annually. 

The migration to Microsoft Azure was managed by Air India's teams in Silicon Valley, Gurugram, and Kochi. 

"At Air India, we have adopted a 'Cloud-only' approach to our computational infrastructure. Cloud is not just about cost savings and operational efficiencies for us, but a fundamental way to reimagine computing," said Satya Ramaswamy, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Air India. 

The computational workloads were transferred from mainframes, servers, data, and equipment. The now-closed data centres were previously used for innovations and automation in the airline's commercial and financial functions. 

Air India was one of the early adopters of high-performance computing and storage in the early years of the computing age. 

"Air India's successful migration to Microsoft Azure demonstrates the power and adaptability of the Microsoft Cloud, and how we can effectively support leaders in the global airline industry like Air India," said Puneet Chandok, President at Microsoft India & South Asia. 

Since being taken over by the Tata Group in January last year, Air India has embarked on a five-year transformation plan. 

In April, the airline said it aims to launch several innovations in its customer-facing channels and employee experiences to improve customer engagement and operational efficiencies. Air India is also exploring emerging trends such as quantum computing to solve complex optimisation challenges. 

The airline has already invested approximately $200 million in new digital systems, digital engineering services, and creating a digital workforce. It expects to continue investing at this pace over the next five years to catch up with world-class airlines and deploy cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence. 

Air India has built a digital and technology team in Kochi, Gurugram, and Silicon Valley. Its Vihaan.AI transformation program aims to differentiate Air India through digital technologies and become a technology industry leader. Each Vihaan.AI initiative is powered by technology, from enhancing customer experience to revenue management transformation.