As part of preparation for privatisation, and to increase
operational efficiencies, Cameroon Airlines has announced it is the first airline
in Central and West Africa to migrate their legacy communications system to SITA’s
Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) service.The five-year contract
with SITA, worth $4.3 million, will link the airline’s headquarters and regional
offices over a secure network, enabling staff in all locations to run applications
in a protected environment and enable secure IP access to Internet services.

               

Cameroon Airlines is currently reorganizing its operations with the aim of improving
overall performance in advance of privatisation which is planned by the government
in 2007. The airline relies heavily on Information Technology (IT) to help reduce
costs and improve operational efficiencies. As part of the deal, SITA’s
professional services consultants will be migrating Cameroon Airlines’ current
legacy network infrastructure to Internet Protocol (IP); a move that opens the door
to new technologies that leverage the Internet - such as Voice over IP (VoIP) -
while driving down costs.

Commenting on the deal M. Mohamadou Hamassali, Head of Strategy and IT department at
Cameroon Airlines remarked “We at Cameroon Airlines consider SITA as our partner for
telecommunications and information services. SITA has always been there for Cameroon
Airlines even during times of difficulties. We are happy to sign this long term deal
for telecommunications and professional services and count on SITA’s continued
support to ensure that Cameroon Airlines maintains competitive advantage through the
use of modern technology.”

 

“Our focus with Cameroon airlines is to reduce their communication-related costs
and effectively make them more competitive in the marketplace,” said Khodr Akil,
SITA Regional Vice President, Sales and Relationship Management, Africa. “Cameroon
Airlines is aware of the huge benefits of migrating to IP. It will enable the
airline to deliver a faster, more personal and seamless service to passengers as it
prepares for privatisation. We are delighted to play an instrumental role in the
airline’s move to this more advanced technology platform in a cost-effective
manner.”

 

SITA has worked with Cameroon Airlines for 30 years providing data and ground to air
communication services. In addition, the airline uses SITA’s passenger services
portfolio Horizon, including, SITA Reservations, Ticketing, Airfare, Frequent Flyer
and Credit Card Authorization. Cameroon Airlines’ implementation of electronic
ticketing is in progress with SITA and the first e-ticket is scheduled to be issued
by the end of December 2006, well ahead of the IATA deadline of December 2007.
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