SITA (business services company)

SITA or Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques, was founded in February 1949 by eleven airlines in order to bring about shared infrastructure cost efficiency by combining their communications networks. The eleven original airlines were: British European Airways Corporation (BEAC), British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), British South American Airways (BSAA), KLM, Sabena, Swissair, TWA, Swedish A.G.Aerotransport, Danish Air Lines, Norwegian Air Lines and Air France. World-wide computer network SITA opened its first telecommunications centre in Rome in 1949. Information was manually transmitted using perforated tape and teleprinters. This was the 'first generation' of the network. The 'second generation' SITA High-Level Network (HLN) became operational in 1969, handling data traffic in real time via a message-switched network over common carrier leased lines. It was organised to act like a packet-switching network. The 'third generation' Data Transport Network adopted X.25 in 1981, providing global coverage and becoming the world's "largest" public data network. Expansion In 1989 computer reservations systems, aerospace manufacturers, tour operators, airfreight forwarders, airport authorities, and other organizations in the air transport industry began joining SITA as members. From 2011 to 2015, SITA provided services to Mahan Air, Caspian Airlines, Meraj Airlines and Syrian Arab Airlines, companies designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the United States Department of the Treasury. In February 2020, SITA agreed to pay US$ 7.8 million to the US Treasury as settlement and announced further enhancements to their compliance program. ==Company structure==

SITA is owned by members of the air transport industry, who make up the SITA Board and SITA Council. The company has the remit of working with the air transport community for the benefit of all members. This includes cooperation with industry bodies, such as IATA, ACI and regional associations, aiming to solve common industry issues through the use of IT and telecommunication services, through development of community systems, industry standards and shared infrastructures for aviation. SITA also produces industry surveys including the Air Transport IT Insights, Passenger IT Insights, as well as working jointly with IATA on the industry’s Baggage Report. ;SITA FOR AIRCRAFT Launched in 2005 as OnAir, SITA FOR AIRCRAFT today provides Digital Day of Operations, Cabin Connectivity Services, and Unified Aircraft Communication. OnAir combined with SITA's Aircraft business in 2015 and is now SITA FOR AIRCRAFT but was previously known as SITAONAIR. == Sustainability ==

SITA operates under a comprehensive Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy aimed at reducing its operational impact and supporting the aviation industry’s transition to sustainable practices. According to corporate reports, the company has achieved a 23% reduction in its overall carbon footprint since its 2019 base year. SITA employs a "Sustainability by Design" methodology for hardware and software development and maintains ISO 14001:2015 certification for environmental management across eight of its primary offices. On the social and governance fronts, women represent 25.1% of SITA’s global workforce, and 8.45% of employees participate in corporate volunteering initiatives. The company's governance framework includes the integration of ESG modules into its digital procurement and supplier management systems. SITA develops technological solutions designed to optimize flight operations and assist the broader air transport industry in meeting net-zero carbon emission targets. ;Aviareto Aviareto is a joint venture between SITA and the Irish government. Aviareto and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Supervisory Authority of the International Registry, agreed that Aviareto would establish and operate the International Registry of Mobile Assets. ==Products and services==

SITA's services include: • Airport operations, including total airport management, safety and security • Aircraft operations, including operational communications, e-Aircraft services * e.g. for EFBs), and in-flight communications • Baggage processing • Cargo operations • Communications & data exchange • Passenger processing • Border management SITA's shared infrastructures include systems for passenger processing. ==Standards==

SITA works with around 20 industry bodies and standards committees to set standards. The company has approximately 40 participants in 55 different Standards Setting Working Groups. The organizations SITA works with include IATA, Air Cargo Inc., Airlines for America, ICAO and the FAA, plus AAAE, ACC, Association of European Airlines, CANSO, OpenTravel Alliance, ITU, the World Customs Organization and the World Trade Organization. The Working Groups SITA is involved in include IATA Type X, IATA Common Use, ATA e-Business, ICAO AFSG, ACI ACRIS and Eurocontrol SWIM. Examples of standards include: • Messaging (ADS-B, Type X communications, Aero-ID and common-use self-service) • Traceability (AutoID) • Transportation security (Border Management data hub) • Passenger Management (Common Use Passenger Processing System — CUPPS) ==Research and development==

The company's achievements include: • First iPad kiosk to sell tickets • First augmented reality application for an airline • Managing passenger flow at airports through geo-localization • In-flight mobile portal developed with OnAir • World's smallest full-function check-in kiosk • CUPPS (Common Use Passenger Processing System) technology, a replacement for the CUTE (Common Use Terminal Equipment) check-in and boarding standard used today. SITA worked with IATA and other bodies to introduce this capability, which will save the air transport industry millions of dollars. • SITA works with business partner Orange Business Services on joint projects, and is also involved with the industry research programs e-Cab, Total Airport, SWIM, and SESAR. Additionally, the company focuses on institutional and academic research through teams at MIT, Cambridge and Montreal Universities. ==Security breaches==

Raúl Barragán is considered the first Argentine hacker for invading SITA telex system on the 70s while working for Aerolíneas Argentinas. In 1979, he was fired from the company, and from there on, he made a living by selling first class passages in the black market. Raúl has demonstrated his modus operandi to the Argentine Federal Police using a telex from Interpol, and showed several flaws from SITA's system that he used to explore. Raúl was arrested in May 1994 for supposedly selling passages for the Argentine band Los Pericos. It is not known how much money he got, but it is estimated he generated from 5 to 10 thousand passages, profiting about 5 million dollars. On 24 February 2021, Star Alliance data stored on SITA's US servers were stolen in a cyberattack. The affected companies were Malaysia Airlines, Finnair, Jeju Air, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa, United Airlines and others. Singapore Airlines announced half a million membership number and tier status were compromised. Three months later, Air India announced that names, credit card details, date of birth, contact information, passport information, ticket information, Star Alliance and Air India frequent flyer data from 4.5 million passengers was stolen on the incident. ==References==