Etihad to work with Kyndryl to accelerate transition to the public cloud

Airline aims to drive greater efficiencies, innovation and flexibility over the next three years

Etihad Airways has agreed a partnership with Kyndryl to support an acceleration of its efforts to move its IT infrastructure to the cloud.

The Gulf carrier has previously used private cloud technology but wants to achieve more flexibility by integrating with “best-of-breed” public cloud capabilities.

It has chosen Kyndryl, the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, to partner with it on its transit over three years.

Etihad will work with Kyndryl and leading cloud providers “to select fit-for-purpose cloud platforms that are based on the specific requirements of Etihad’s mission-critical workloads”.

Over the next three years, Kyndryl will also help migrate and manage Etihad’s workloads across the new multi-cloud environment.

Etihad said the move will provide it with seamless access to advanced cloud services and be able to combine the capabilities that each cloud platform provides.

“This will enable more efficient operations and bringing innovation to market at a more rapid pace,” the airline said.

Frank Meyer, chief digital officer, said: “As Etihad continues to evolve, its ability to push the boundaries of innovation and digitalisation within the aviation industry is necessary to create the next generation travel experience.

“The airline looks forward to working with Kyndryl as their expertise in cloud environments will support Etihad in becoming a more agile and sustainable airline.”

Vickram Nagi, managing director, Kyndryl Middle East, Africa and Turkey, added: “Etihad is long known for embedding innovation into every aspect of its operations and continuously transforming to better serve its employees and guests.

“We are proud to have been selected by Etihad to help facilitate the next phase of its digital transformation through the use of best-in-breed cloud platforms.

“This collaboration reaffirms our commitment to support mission-critical technology systems the world depends on every day and to forge strong relationships with leading technology innovators to serve our customers better.”