Cathay Pacific and SITA roll out new airport network connectivity agreement

Move will optimise access to carrier's Cloud technology

Air transport technology firm, SITA and Hong-Kong airline, Cathay Pacific, have revealed its new agreement, supporting substantial increases in network bandwidth at its airports, improving current capacity by up to five times while maintaining cost efficiency. 

This initiative aligns with Cathay Pacific’s strategic direction of increasing adoption of Cloud applications while ensuring optimal performance for legacy systems.

Cathay Pacific was an early adopter of the original SITA Connect solution, and this renewed agreement demonstrates its confidence in SITA as it moves to the newly launched SITA Connect Go service. 

This new collaboration will provide Cathay Pacific with enhanced network connectivity across 51 global airports through the SITA Connect Go at Airports product, which will combine dual Internet connectivity to provide bandwidth ranging up to 300 Mbps. 

The new contract includes a planned 12-month design, build, test, and implementation period to cover all airports involved in the project.

SITA Connect Go will facilitate a substantial bandwidth increase of up to five times the current capacity. 

This improvement will see enhanced efficiency and connectivity while maintaining cost optimisation for the carrier. 

Using the new SITA airport infrastructure will allow Cathay Pacific to continue its smooth transition to Cloud applications, enhancing overall operational efficiency and scalability.

Connect Go also includes three Gateways specifically designed to ensure optimal performance for legacy applications, facilitating the continued use of existing systems while achieving improved performance and connectivity globally.

“This agreement with Cathay Pacific is a true testament of how we are able to help airlines maximize their network infrastructures which are key for their ongoing operations," said Sumesh Patel, SITA Asia President Asia Pacific.

"The fact that Cathay Pacific was one of our first clients for SITA Connect and is now one of the first adopters of SITA Connect Go is a clear sign that our technology is delivering valuable results. 

"Airlines and airport networks in APAC are facing challenges with legacy network infrastructure. SITA Connect Go offers a robust, scalable, and secure SD-WAN platform to meet the need for the growing bandwidth demand and helps airlines shift their focus towards their customers,”

SITA Connect Go has an ultrarapid deployment due to SITA's pre-connected and APH-V infrastructure. 

This will allow swift implementation of necessary infrastructure and connectivity across Cathay Pacific’s network, reducing downtime and disruption; all this while offering flexible packaging and customisable options, allowing Cathay Pacific to tailor their connectivity requirements based on specific needs, optimising network services while maintaining cost efficiency.

Rajeev Nair, general manager – IT infrastructure and security at Cathay Pacific, added: “Airlines across the world have a clear need for strong and robust airport infrastructure so that we can center our attention on providing the optimal passenger experience. 

"SITA Connect has been helping us deliver efficient operations at airports for several years and we are confident that this renewed partnership with SITA will allow us to significantly increase the network capacity of our existing network in the most cost-effective way, enabling us to further enhance our operational efficiency and allowing us to continue focusing all our efforts on our customers.”

The implementation phase, which started in April 2024, is expected to be completed in early quarter two 2025 and become fully operational across 51 airports on the same date.