Air India takes flight to the Cloud, bids farewell to Legacy Data Centres

In a pioneering move, Air India became one of the first major global airlines to embrace cloud-based computational workloads fully.

Air India achieved a groundbreaking milestone by transitioning to an exclusive cloud-only IT infrastructure, marking the closure of its iconic data centres in Mumbai and New Delhi. 

This strategic shift not only propels Air India into a realm of unparalleled technological agility and scalability but also accelerates its digital transformation initiatives. The airline is now poised to introduce innovative digital applications, enhancing operational efficiencies, and elevating customer and employee experiences. The closure of traditional data centres is expected to yield annual savings approaching a million dollars.

Dr. Satya Ramaswamy, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Air India, expressed, “At Air India, we have adopted ‘cloud-only’ as our computational infrastructure philosophy. For us, cloud is not just about cost savings and operational efficiencies but is a fundamental way to reimagine computing itself and a critical lever to accelerate innovation. We have adopted a strategic mix of Softwareas-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service methodologies in Air India’s transformation journey, allowing us to innovate faster and provide a flexible and reliable computational and networking infrastructure for the company.”

The meticulous migration process, expertly orchestrated by Air India's top architects and engineers in Silicon Valley, the U.S., and Gurugram and Kochi in India, involved transferring computational workloads, data, and equipment from mainframes and servers to the cloud. Despite the complexity, the airline ensured the seamless integration of team members who had dedicated years to the now-closed data centres, emphasising ongoing skill development.

Puneet Chandok, President of Microsoft India & South Asia, emphasised Microsoft's pride in supporting Air India's cloud transformation on Azure. He highlighted the collaboration's success in empowering global airline leaders like Air India, fostering innovation, and unlocking the potential of AI for enhanced decision-making and customer experiences.

Air India's complete migration to the cloud not only signifies a historic moment for the airline but also lays the foundation for a wave of innovations across customer interfaces and employee interactions. Adopting advanced data analytics and AI capabilities promises a future where the cloud seamlessly integrates into every aspect of Air India's operations.