MUMBAI: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has clinched a five-year deal with Air New Zealand to revamp the airline’s digital infrastructure, propelling it into the AI-powered future. The tie-up, inked at TCS’ Banyan Park campus in Mumbai, aims to supercharge customer experience, sharpen operational efficiency and make Air New Zealand the world’s most digitally advanced airline.

With the airline ferrying over 15 million passengers on 3,400 weekly flights, TCS will streamline digital services across 600-plus applications, injecting AI-driven automation and cloud muscle into fleet management, crew scheduling and ground services. Disruption management, cargo services, retail offerings and maintenance systems are also in for a tech overhaul.

The signing ceremony saw a heavyweight guest list, including New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon, Tata Group chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran and TCS chief executive K Krithivasan.

Foran called TCS an “instrumental partner” in Air New Zealand’s cargo digital transformation and digital retail expansion. “We’ve already seen results since teaming up in September 2024. The benefits this partnership will bring to our customers and the aviation sector are huge,” he said.

Krithivasan echoed the excitement: “With AI, automation and cloud tech, we’ll help Air New Zealand set new benchmarks in efficiency, sustainability and passenger engagement. This partnership is all about reimagining airline operations and unlocking new growth.”