SITA, a leading provider of IT solutions for the air transport industry, reported record revenues of nearly $1.5 billion for 2023, representing a 7% increase from the previous year.
CEO David Lavorel presented the results at SITA’s Annual General Assembly in June, also noting a growth in margin and EBITDA, which surpassed expectations by 4%.
SITA currently serves around 2,500 customers across more than 1,000 airports and 18,000 aircraft. The company’s solutions are present in over 200 countries and territories.
“Every one of our customers and members benefits from our strong performance and growth,” said Lavorel. “It means we can self-fund our portfolio evolutions and explore further innovation opportunities. This is vital as we address the big trends now facing travel and take on new technologies to shape our industry’s future. Our portfolio developments and innovations are preparing the industry for the years ahead, delivering seamless and touchless journeys, operational efficiency, resilience and agility, sustainability, and more.”
According to SITA, key achievements include the company’s agreement with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to implement advanced passenger processing solutions and cloud-enablement for 44 airports. This initiative aims to support the increasing passenger traffic in India.
SITA also secured contracts and partnerships aimed at transforming travel through digital identities, biometric and mobile-enabled self-service, and digital borders. Notable examples are biometric touchpoints for airline passengers at Frankfurt Airport, a digital travel and sustainability collaboration with the Arab Air Carriers Organization, and ongoing trials in Aruba using ICAO’s Digital Travel Credential (DTC) standard.
Additionally, in response to the resurgence of travel, SITA launched new services for the SITA Connect Go SD-WAN solution, enhancing industry digitalisation, with early adopters of this solution including Qatar Airways and Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
SITA notes that another major trend involves collaborative IT for aircraft, aimed at improving flight efficiency and sustainability through AI and data-driven operational tools. In 2023, airlines such as Azul, Singapore Airlines, AIX Connect, and Vistara adopted SITA OptiFlight to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by optimising flight paths.
It’s worth noting that simultaneous with these milestones was the introduction of the Total Airport Optimizer by SITA in 2024, an AI-powered platform designed to manage all aspects of airport operations. Through a partnership with Univers, the solution integrates sustainability into operational decision-making, allowing airports to monitor and report energy usage, emissions from aircraft and vehicles, and their overall carbon footprint.
SITA’s momentum in 2024 was further propelled by the acquisition of Materna IPS, a leader in passenger handling for airports and airlines and the Self Bag-Drop market. The aim of the acquisition is to create a valuable passenger portfolio for airports and digital travel.
Following this, SITA launched SmartSea in partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement, with a focus on bringing air transport technology to the maritime industry, as part of SITA’s expansion into cruise, rail, and Urban Air Mobility sectors.
SITA also acquired ASISTIM, known for its managed airline flight operations services, enabling airlines to outsource part of their flight operations through the Operations Control Center (OCC) managed service.
“Major trends such as digitalisation and sustainability will transform the way we work,” added Lavorel. “We’re positioned to help the wider travel and transport industries create more frictionless journey experiences, achieve operational efficiencies and resilience, and address sustainability requirements.”