Swiss Air to improve Garuda's info system

NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): The state-owned Garuda Indonesia Airlines and Atraxis Swiss Air have agreed on further tightening their partnership by jointly developing Garuda's information technology system.

Both Garuda and Atraxis, an information service subsidiary of the Swiss Air Group, signed the contractual agreement here yesterday.

Garuda's director of human resources development Eko Suwaryo said the agreement would make the company's existing cooperation with Swiss Air more mutual.

"Before, Swiss Air was only a provider of the information system that we use, but now we will actually benefit each other," Eko said after the signing of the agreement.

Under the agreement, Atraxis would provide the technology for Garuda's reservation and departure control system, while Garuda would provide the human resources, he said.

Atraxis would train Garuda's staff to improve their competencies in the airlines information service, he said.

Atraxis's chief executive officer and President Hans Eisele said yesterday his company was interested in developing a state of the art computer information technology system for the Indonesian airlines.

"Indonesia has a great potential to serve the global needs, because it is a big country with many islands and airways. This is a good reason to provide the service from here instead of from places like Europe," Eisele said.

The agreement included the use of the latest software licensing to be operated by Garuda at its Jakarta-based computer center, he said.

He added the system would be available for other airlines in the country.

"The Jakarta center can provide the latest state of the art reservation and airport checking load control system for Garuda and other airlines in the region," he said.

Eisele said Atraxis also agreed to provide upgraded software releases regularly with Garuda.

The software would contain systems including pricing, revenue management, customer information, revenue accounting and data warehouse solutions, he said.

He said Garuda would pay the software with a monthly usage fee, instead of a one-time fee.

Eko Suwaryo said the partnership would start as soon as next week.

Cooperation between Garuda and Swiss Air began in 1982.

Atraxis Swiss Air provides its information technology system to airlines-related business such as airports, cargo, and travel and transport. (das)