New Delhi, Jun 3 (PTI) India's IT sector has moved dramatically from outsourcing model to now being a technology and innovation hub, Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive Officer Shai Weiss has said as the British carrier announced a seven-year deal with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to modernise airline operations with AI-led solutions.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will augment and enhance aviation sector taking personalisation to the next level for the industry, Weiss told PTI in an interview.

"It starts from the top, understanding what you want to buy, how you want to buy it, how we present ourselves, optimising the price for you, ensuring that we can put you at the right seat, anticipating what you want to eat, and then, of course, throughout the customer service and the operations...how we process payments. And so it's across everything," Weiss said on AI's transformational capabilities.

He added: "We're very lucky to operate and cooperate with some of the leading AI and technology companies in the world. And together with TCS, I think we have a pretty good opportunity here to take Virgin Atlantic to the next level." The technology sector in India has moved dramatically from just outsourcing to now being a technological and innovation hub, he said.

Weiss also highlighted the Virgin Atlantic's deep connection with India, emphasising airline's commitment to cultural inclusivity and personalised service, exemplified by local cabin crew on board, all the way to offering 'samosas' and local flavours onboard.

"Every single flight that Virgin Atlantic flies into and from India, have four local cabin crew, we have beautiful 'samosas' on board. So that's the point of seeing the world differently. That's the point of adaptation. That's the point of respect to the local culture that we do so differently," he said.

TCS has expanded its two-decade-long strategic partnership with Virgin Atlantic to accelerate its digital transformation journey.

Weiss said he views this as "renewing our vows".

"If the previous 20 years were about technology and outsourcing and transformation, this is about innovation. This is about personalisation.

This is, of course, about Generative AI...but this is about the future of making sure that Virgin Atlantic continues to be a premium brand that is loved with a mission to be the most loved travel company. The bar is set very high, underpinned by digital technology, personalisation," he said.

As part of this long-term engagement, TCS will modernise Virgin Atlantic's core technology operations by implementing a cloud-first, AI-powered digital core that enhances business agility, improves resilience of systems, and allows for higher scale of operations.

TCS will implement a modern, AI-powered technology estate that will unify the airline's technology assets and deploy an advanced technology command centre. This will serve as the nerve centre for transforming Virgin Atlantic's technology operations.

Virgin Atlantic's Technology Command Centre, co-developed with TCS, will provide real-time operational insights to enhance decision-making, streamline technology operations and empower frontline staff with up to date, contextual data.

This will, in turn, support the elevation of both customer and crew experiences, enabling efficient, smarter and more sustainable journeys, and superior hyper-personalised customer experience across every touchpoint of airline travel.

"Many a times when there's a technology revolution, services come out of favour. I can assure you that aviation and travel are here to stay, and we're only going to get better if we use technology," he said.

By utilising extensive customer data, the airline can personalise services -- from anticipating meal and beverage preferences to optimising flight schedules and ensuring timely operations. This data-driven approach allows for proactive problem-solving, such as addressing potential issues promptly, in the process, elevating the overall travel experience, according to him.

"We have a lot of data about our customers, which they want us to have, and if we are able to take that and customise and personalise the service, the experience that we provide you from the small things to the very large, you know from anticipating what it is you'd like to drink and eat, we already asked you to tell us what you'd like to eat on the plane, rather than asking you when you're there, ensuring that our planes fly on time, that we save fuel, that we can anticipate things that go wrong, that we can fix them as soon as we land, the sky is the limit, no pun intended here, and this is where technology comes into play," he said.

With the emergence of technology, that allows the power of intelligent decision making, Virgin Atlantic is betting on digital-first approach to set it apart as a premium brand.

"The measure of success is, can we become the most loved travel company? And if anyone can achieve that, we are the number one candidate. The bar is very high...We want to be the most loved travel company, and we want to be sustainably profitable," Weiss said. PTI MBI RAM HVA