Amadeus has acquired the airline network planning software of Optym for an undisclosed sum.
Based in the United States, Optym also works in other industries, but for more than three years, Amadeus has partnered with and invested in the company to develop its airline solutions.
The pair have developed Amadeus Sky Suite with a number of airlines including Southwest and EasyJet using the technology.
One example of the technology in action is in helping Southwest with schedule planning during the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft in early 2019.
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The technology, which covers network optimization and simulation as well as network planning, will be fully integrated into the Amadeus Airline Platform.
The acquisition includes 90 employees who will work on the Sky Suite and be led by Renzo Vaccari, who was formerly senior vice president of airline solutions at Optym.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, airline delays cost the U.S. aviation industry and passengers $28 billion in 2018.
Christoph Bousquet, senior vice president of airlines research and development at Amadeus, says: “We believe that better airline network planning presents significant opportunity for airlines to drive more profit and reliability. Today’s systems only scratch the surface of what is possible.”