Dusseldorf, one of Germany's fastest growing airports, has outsourced its IT support to SITA in a deal worth $200m over ten years. The deal is the first of its kind for an airport in Europe.
Under the agreement, SITA, a worldwide provider of IT and telecommunications solutions for the aviation industry, will provide support and innovation for the airport's IT aimed at helping it expand and become more efficient.
Dusseldorf is Germany's third largest airport, handling more than 15,000,000 passengers a year.
Francesco Violante, managing director of SITA, said: “We believe that this partnership will help the airport to become even more efficient and to grow revenue in the future.
“The airport industry in Germany is of great strategic importance to SITA. Düsseldorf is set to become a model for how a modern airport campus can be run, maximising the benefits to airlines and other customers of shared IT systems and data bases including common-use and self-service check-in kiosks.
“The outcome will be to simplify the passenger journey through use of state-of-the art technology.”
Thomas Schnalke, managing director of Düsseldorf Airport and initiator of the outsourcing strategy, said: "We want to create an airport of the future.
“Düsseldorf is growing rapidly and we need to continue to innovate in order to satisfy passengers and airlines alike.”
Virgin upgrades its Upper Class service
Virgin Atlantic is offering passengers on its Upper Class passengers travelling on flights departing after 9pm a meal before take off.
The service will apply to flights out of London Heathrow and London Gatwick as well as on inbound flights from Johannesburg, Los Angeles, JFK New York and Newark New York.
Passengers will still be able to eat onboard if they wish.
BA introduced a similar “eat before you fly” service which included breakfast on arrival for its premium passengers last year.