Overview

• Aer Lingus required an innovative IT solution that would put it ahead of the competition.
• Hugely successful, the project was nominated for and won the prestigious Citrix Global innovation Award in 2015, beating off competition from around the world.

Requirements

• To replace an aging desktop/PC estate with an innovative end-user computing solution to boost staff productivity, reduce business risk, offer on-going efficiencies, and replace legacy systems.
• IT innovation was desired for the cockpit in terms of replacing heavy and unwieldy paper-based operating manuals with digital equivalents.
• The vision for the project was efficiency, security, and mobility for the employees; to move into the cloud, allowing for secure access to data and applications.
• Security and precision were extremely important, and that is the area where Aer Lingus’ IT partner needed to deliver.

Our solution

• A highly secure, mobile, user-friendly system introduced that enables greater productivity through a more flexible approach to work.
• Apple iPad based system delivers paperless cockpit and increased employee productivity & work flexibility
• Flexible access to information anytime, anywhere, and from any device drives higher customer service
• Adopting virtual desktops reduced software support costs and extended the life of existing PC hardware

Global Award Winning Paperless Cockpit System

Aer Lingus needed to replace an aging desktop/PC estate with an innovative end-user computing solution that would boost staff productivity, reduce business risk, offer on-going efficiencies, and replace legacy systems. In addition, there was a requirement to bring IT innovation to the cockpit in terms of replacing heavy and unwieldy paper-based operating manuals with digital equivalents.

The overarching vision for the project was efficiency, security, and mobility for the Aer Lingus employees and the business. The airline business is a highly competitive industry, in which security, compliance, and precision are extremely important, and that is the area where Aer Lingus’ IT partner needed to deliver.

“Enterprise Solutions are a long-standing partner of Aer Lingus. They worked seamlessly with our IT team from the start to
the finish of the project and continue to provide an excellent service supporting our new Citrix Enterprise Mobility System.”

Derek Monahan

Director of IT Service

The Solution

To achieve their goal, Aer Lingus recognised that we needed to update our IT infrastructure, which began with an upgrade of our outdated desktop environments. Enterprise Solutions has designed and implemented a cutting edge new IT platform for Aer Lingus that allows employees to work securely from anywhere, any time, and on any device – including a fleet of 2,500 Apple iPads.

The cloud-based system was designed and implemented by a dedicated team of Enterprise Solutions consultants over a period of 18 months. Using multiple solutions from Citrix, the global leader in virtualization, networking, and mobility technology, Enterprise Solutions introduced a highly secure, mobile, user-friendly system to Aer Lingus that enables employees to achieve greater productivity through a more flexible approach to work.

Business Benefits Achieved

A highly secure, mobile, user-friendly system introduced that enables greater productivity through a more flexible approach to work. The Apple iPad-based system delivers a paperless cockpit and as a result, increased employee productivity & work flexibility. Flexible access to information anytime, anywhere, and from any device drives higher customer service with employees cross-department having constant access to the information they need to support their customers.  Adopting virtual desktops reduced software support costs and extended the life of existing PC hardware.

A Paperless Cockpit

Aer Lingus pilots now use 3G/4G enabled iPads to access flight plans and other sensitive data, effectively creating a secure, compliant, paperless cockpit. The impact on aircraft fuel costs, when taking into consideration the reduced take-off weight of an aircraft not carrying paper flight manuals over the course of a year is significant. 

Enhanced Customer Service

The airline relies on a large number of shift working operations staff to keep the business running at all times. Employees – from cargo crew to customer service agents – can now easily and securely access their desktop from anywhere in the airport, at home or from any Aer Lingus office. Flexible access to information anytime, anywhere, and from any device empowers Aer Lingus employees to deliver great customer care in all areas of the business, from baggage halls to the cockpit.

Reduced Support Costs

Adopting virtual desktops has enabled Aer Lingus to extend the life of existing PC hardware in many cases, and has reduced software support costs with centralized management, dissolving departmental silos, and making information more accessible to relevant employees. The company
has also deployed 2,500 Apple iPad tablets to various teams across the business, and has a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy for employees.

Citrix Innovation Award Winners

The project was a huge success and was nominated for and has won the prestigious Citrix Global Innovation Award in Florida, beating off competition from around the world. It is the first time an Irish project has been nominated for, let alone won, the award.

The Citrix Innovation Award highlights Citrix Customers who are driving innovation and revolutionising the future of work. The award is about celebrating partners that help customers drive bold and innovative solutions for IT’s most complex challenges, fuel business growth, forge strong connections between our customers and the people who rely on them and help organisations find better ways to work.

Enterprise Solutions were honoured to have won such a prestigious award alongside Aer Lingus for one of the most innovative solutions seen in the airlines industry. Take a look at the video to learn more about the project and award.