Virgin Atlantic agrees IT infrastructure outsourcing extension

Virgin Atlantic has signed a deal with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) that will see the two firms continue their IT outsourcing partnership for a further three years.

TCS will be responsible for controlling the airline giant's computing infrastructure and networking. The Indian IT specialists will also provide technical support via a 24-hour service help desk, in addition to managing Virgin's relationships with third party IT vendors.

Mike Cope, IT director at Virgin Atlantic, said: "Today, airlines need to effectively exploit IT more than ever to be successful in a very competitive marketplace."

Mr A.S. Lakshminarayanan, VP and country manager, UK & Ireland, TCS, added: "Virgin Atlantic’s IT infrastructure and services are worldwide and therefore require a partner with a similarly global reach."

Virgin's contract extension comes soon after Zurich Financial Services agreed a £200 million IT outsourcing deal with Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). The six-year deal will affect 51,000 users across several global territories.