TCS partners Air New Zealand for AI; India eyes NZ trade deal

Technology giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has entered into a five-year partnership with Air New Zealand to upgrade the airline’s digital infrastructure and lead in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven innovation. The collaboration focuses on boosting Air New Zealand’s digital capabilities, enhancing customer experience, and improving operational efficiency across areas such as fleet management, crew scheduling, and ground services.

The partnership comes as New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, discusses a free-trade agreement with India and expanding bilateral trade. Both nations are focusing on strengthening cooperation in research, science, technology, and innovation while fostering closer business and industry ties to develop and commercialize technologies.

TCS is part of the Tata Group and headquartered in Mumbai, India’s commercial capital. The technology firm generated consolidated revenues of $29 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, the company said in a statement.

“By leveraging AI, automation, and cloud technologies, we aim to reimagine operations, enhance passenger experiences, and build a more agile and resilient airline. This partnership reflects our commitment to helping global enterprises adapt, grow, and unlock new opportunities through technology,” K. Krithivasan, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of TCS, said.

TCS said that this partnership reinforces TCS’s long-standing commitment to New Zealand, where it has been a digital transformation partner for over 37 years, fostering innovation across various sectors. With a presence in Auckland and a team of 460 professionals, TCS said it serves more than 20 major clients in industries such as banking, retail, construction, manufacturing, and local government. Through the TCS Co-Innovation Network™ (COINTM), the company collaborates with leading New Zealand universities to promote AI and cybersecurity as well as sustainability research.

Air New Zealand operates a global network, providing both passenger and cargo services to 49 destinations worldwide. The statement said the airline carries over 15 million passengers annually and has over 3,400 weekly flights. TCS will optimize the airline’s digital services by integrating AI automation and cloud technologies into more than 600 applications, improving key operations such as cargo services, disruption management, retail, maintenance, and crew operations.

A significant focus of the collaboration will be workforce transformation, with TCS leading large-scale upskilling initiatives to enhance Air New Zealand’s teams in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, and digital engineering. The partnership will also strengthen the airline’s digital retail and loyalty programs.

Greg Foran, Chief Executive Officer of Air New Zealand, said, “This collaboration aligns with our vision to be a digitally enabled airline of the future. We began working with TCS in September 2024 and in just a few short months, we’ve seen the benefits of tapping into the depth and breadth of talent and expertise they have when it comes to digital solutions.”

India, New Zealand eye 10x growth in bilateral trade

The TCS-Air New Zealand partnership comes at a time when the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Christopher Luxon, is discussing a free trade agreement with India and expanding bilateral trade. The two countries are also discussing research, scientific connections, technology partnerships and innovation as an essential pillar of the bilateral partnership. Both nations also plan stronger collaboration to develop and commercialize technologies in identified areas through closer cooperation between businesses and industries.

“Today India is at the leading edge of technology with massive innovative potential,” Luxon said during the Raisina Dialogue, India’s premier conference on geopolitics. The Observer Research Foundation hosts the conference in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

“We are on the cusp of a transformation of our economies and societies in a way that we can barely now imagine. I am talking about artificial intelligence, which is within reach of achieving the cognitive powers of a human being. But I am also thinking of a range of other technologies–quantum, biotech, advanced manufacturing–that are going to have profound impacts on our economies and it has felt like this technological transformation has been long heralded but never quite arrived,” Luxon pointed out.

“The game is about to change because we are on the cusp of an explosion in the application of AI, a technology that will have an impact across the whole economy, not just in one or two sectors. A technology that will transform the way that we work, the way that we study, and the way that we entertain ourselves. A technology that will force governments to think in entirely different ways about how they deliver public services and secure their nations,” Luxon added.

According to a Ministry of Commerce & Industry statement, India and New Zealand are working to finalize “a comprehensive and mutually beneficial free trade agreement.” India’s Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal, expressed an ambitious vision for the India-New Zealand partnership, targeting 10x growth in bilateral trade over the next decade.

“The world is going through a lot of problems. A defining partnership between our two nations can serve as a model for how trusted partners work together. It’s not about the size of an economy; it’s about collaboration and shared values,” Goyal said. He noted that India’s economy, currently at $4 trillion, is poised to grow to $30-35 trillion in the next 22-25 years, presenting immense opportunities for collaboration.

“I feel incredibly optimistic about the future of both India and New Zealand. India for us is a game changer. As a smaller country in the world, India is a really consequential relationship for us. We all recognize that there is a lot more that these two countries should be doing together. When we look at the trading relationship today at $3 billion, there’s a huge opportunity for us here,” Luxon added.

India, the world’s largest democracy, is strengthening its relationships with key trade partners to boost domestic manufacturing, improve supply chains, and create job opportunities. India and the United Kingdom are exploring potential collaborations in AI, next-generation telecommunications, and space technology. Meanwhile, India and the European Union are working together to harness AI to address natural disasters and climate change while also advancing joint efforts in semiconductor research and manufacturing, secure telecommunications, and cybersecurity. India and Mauritius are collaborating to leverage AI and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to drive human development.

These discussions are taking place as India is set to finalize a trade deal with the United States by this fall.

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