June 10, 2016 TnH Global

flydubai picks Hyderabad based tech start-up to promote App Store

flydubai today announced a partnership with Hyderabad-based tech startup, HackMania, to promote its Application Programming Interface (API) App Store. As part of this initiative, which will focus on Passenger Service Systems (PSS), a series of hackathons will be conducted throughout the year that will enable hackers across India to develop products covering various themes around air travel and customer experience.

As part of its commitment to India, flydubai is also setting up its first ‘Indian Development Centre’ (IDC) in Hyderabad. The Centre will lead flydubai’s IT and technology innovation and will be a hub for software development, research and operations.

The winners of the hackathon will be offered an internship with the airline and will have the opportunity to incubate their ideas to deliver innovative travel solutions and contribute to flydubai’s App Store.

Commenting on the announcement, Ramesh Venkat, flydubai’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), said: “This initiative with a leading start-up provides the opportunity for us to meet with some of the young developers currently driving innovation. The ideas generated from the hackathon, being held in India, will help to ensure that we remain at the forefront of technological developments. This platform will also help us build a strong relationship with the technology community in Hyderabad.”

Through this platform, the airline will create awareness amongst the developer community about its Open API strategy. HackMania, a talent acquisition product company, will mobilise and vet coders before they take part in the challenge.

“We are a young start-up and it is a great opportunity for us to work with an international airline like flydubai. This year long initiative is aimed at taking advantage of the wave of digital expansion. We expect participation from more than 100 hackers at the event and aim to develop around 15 working prototypes through this initiative,” said 23-year-old Rajat Shahi, Founder and CEO, HackMania.

The Hackathon will be held at T-Hub, Hyderabad on Saturday, 09 July from 9 am (IST) and ends on Sunday, 10 July at 4pm (IST). Hackers can register by 05 July on Hackerbay.co and those applicants who are shortlisted to participate in the hackathon will be notified by SMS and email.

flydubai currently operates 5 flights a week to Hyderabad from Dubai in addition to flights to seven more destinations in India including Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram. The airline operates a single type fleet of Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft. It has built a network of 89 destinations served by more than 1,700 flights a week operating out of Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).