GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. and Lufthansa Systems today announced that they have signed a six-year contract over the product suites for the airline resource management (NetLine) and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. is the parent company of the Brazilian airlines GOL Transportes Aéreos S.A. (GTA) and VRG Linhas Aéreas S.A. (VRG), which operates the VARIG brand.
The contract is part of GOL’s OPTIMA program (Operations and Planning Technically Integrated with Aircraft Maintenance) which has the goal to integrate the control systems of aircraft maintenance, flight operations, network planning and crew management. The new system will improve the airline’s position as a competitive player in the aviation industry and increase its quality of service.
“Our significant investment in this technology will allow GOL to increase efficiencies in our processes and continuously improve our service offerings. We estimate that the OPTIMA program will reduce flying hour costs by 0.5 percent,” says Wilson Maciel Ramos, Vice President IT of GOL.
GOL will use NetLine/Ops for all operations control processes, NetLine/Sched for schedule management and NetLine/Crew for all aspects of crew management. The implementation which also includes the roll-out of a new MRO system will be completed by the first quarter of 2009. Today more than 60 carriers all around the world count on the NetLine suite, including Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, DHL, Lufthansa and TACA.
The entire software suite will be used as an Application Service Providing (ASP) model which minimizes up-front investment and gives both companies maximum flexibility. The integrated use of this comprehensive range of modules allows the airlines to fully benefit from a seamless integration of processes, and thereby improve flight plans from both an operational and economic point of view.
“I am proud that GOL has decided to extend our cooperation. I am confident that this partnership will open up further opportunities for Lufthansa Systems in the region”, said Klaus Bernhardt, Senior Vice President Sales Americas at Lufthansa Systems. “This contract demonstrates once more the superior value NetLine brings to the airlines.” GTA already uses Lufthansa Systems’ Lido FMS (Flight Management System) since 2002.
GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. (NYSE: GOL and Bovespa: GOLL4) is the parent company of Brazilian airlines GOL Transportes Aéreos S.A. and VRG Linhas Aéreas S.A. GTA offers over 640 daily flights to 57 destinations connecting the most important cities in Brazil as well as the main destinations in South America. VRG offers over 120 daily flights to 14 destinations in Brazil. GTA and VRG operate a young, modern fleet of Boeing aircraft, the safest and most comfortable aircraft of its class, with low maintenance, fuel and training costs, and high aircraft utilization and efficiency ratios. The company’s service is recognized as the best value proposition in the market.
Lufthansa Systems is one of the leading IT service providers for the airline and aviation industries worldwide. As a systems integrator, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group covers the entire range of IT services, including consulting, development, implementation and operation. Lufthansa Systems provides its infrastructure and consulting services to a variety of industries. Headquartered in Kelsterbach near Frankfurt/Main, Germany, the company has branches in Germany and 16 other countries and employs about 3,200 people worldwide. In business year 2007, Lufthansa Systems recorded sales of EUR 679 million. For more details, see www.LHsystems.com.
