AI takes flight: Saudia, Accenture collaborate to develop over 260 new digital services

Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has signed an agreement with Accenture paving the way for a digital transformation programme that will make the airline’s guest experience seamless and personalised while improving operational efficiency.

Through this agreement, Saudia will use artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to significantly enhance its digital infrastructure and build more than 260 new digital and electronic services in two years.

The airline’s guests will be able to enjoy more personalised services and a smooth travel experience possible across the entire travel cycle, from ticket search and booking to check-in, and from in-flight services to post-sale support.

All the digital systems developed by Accenture will be designed specifically for the airline, increasing operational efficiency and reducing operational costs, thanks to a new enterprise-wide cloud-based data foundation,  a statement said.

#SAUDIA selects @Accenture to transform guest experience

🔗 | https://t.co/9bLc3Ry1mN pic.twitter.com/achIWzCcde

— المركز الإعلامي | الخطوط السعودية (@svmedia_center) May 22, 2023

The agreement will include several tracks to enhance airline’s guest value and help deliver the company’s strategic objectives.

Specific initiatives will include a digital experience studio, digital infrastructure decoupling that accelerates and de-risks digital transformation processes, modernisation of technical systems, creation of a cloud data lake and development of a smart guest care centre.

“Saudia is looking to reimagine how our guests can choose, buy and enjoy leisure, business, and religious experiences,” said Dr Khaled Alhazmi, vice president of Operations and IT Support, Saudia.

“With Accenture’s support, we will create seamless and curated journeys with hyper-relevant experiences across digital and human-driven interactions.

Guests will be able to modify flights, purchase transit eVisas, and enjoy new self-service features across all digital channels.”

“Through this strategic collaboration, our primary aim is to enable Saudia to tap into the combined power of digital, cloud and data, laying a strong foundation for continued innovation,” said Gerardo Canta, senior managing director at Accenture.

Image credit: Supplied/ Saudia Media Centre

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