Resilience and scalability define the next phase of aviation IT: Sidhwartha Roy, Air India

As the aviation industry undergoes rapid digital reinvention, building a resilient, scalable, and secure IT backbone has become mission-critical. In this context, Express Computer interacts with Sidhwartha Roy, AVP- IT Infrastructure, Air India, who is playing a key role in shaping modern enterprise infrastructure for large, complex aviation environments. He discusses how cloud-first strategies, AI-led automation, cyber security resilience, and emerging technologies are redefining IT operations and enabling the next phase of digital transformation across the aviation sector.

What are your key priorities in modernising enterprise IT infrastructure and building a scalable, future-ready technology foundation?

Given that we have moved ahead of the curve on cloud-first strategies, the key priorities in modernising enterprise IT infrastructure are cyber security resilience, AI-driven automation, cyber security resilience, hybrid/multi-cloud workload optimisation and observability flexibility, sustainability, and edge computing. Together, these form the backbone of a scalable, future-ready technology foundation.

Cyber security and zero trust: Cyber security continues to be the top priority: the evolving threats demand stronger prevention, detection, and recovery capabilities. Zero Trust and AI-powered threat and anomaly detection are becoming standard.

AI and intelligent automation: AI-driven automation is streamlining IT operations (AIOps), helping in IT asset management and optimisation through digital practices, providing predictive analysis in IT service management, and workflow optimisation. We are working towards embedding generative AI into infrastructure management for faster troubleshooting and decision-making.

Major efforts are also directed towards the best use of IoT and edge computing which has proven to be an excellent tool within the ecosystem by reducing latency and enabling real-time insights.

While resilience and business continuity has been an embedded practice as technologies are rolled out, it remains a priority considering the increased threats and various global outages that we all have experienced in the recent past.

How are cloud adoption, automation, and emerging technologies influencing your overall IT strategy?

As we move forward, IT strategy in aviation is getting reshaped by cloud adoption for scalability and resilience, automation for operational efficiency and cost control, major push for innovations using the emerging technologies like AI, biometrics, IoT, and digital twins for passenger experience, safety, and sustainability. These trends are driving towards more agile, data-driven platforms also ensuring cyber security and regulatory compliance.

To provide a scalable infrastructure, all the players in this industry are migrating core systems to cloud platforms to handle fluctuating demand and global operations. Cyber security integration gets seamlessly built-in by embedding into the cloud IT strategies providing real-time threat monitoring and resilience against cyber attacks. 

Robotic process automation (RPA) and AI-driven workflows have also helped to streamline ticketing, baggage handling, and maintenance across the industry. The automated analytics are used for predictive maintenance and thereby reducing downtime and improving fleet reliability. 

With the adoption of the emerging technologies, various innovations led to AI-powered passenger experiences: Personalised travel services, predictive demand management, and smart customer support. Using biometrics, seamless identity verification at airports have improved security and passenger flow. IoT and digital twins will play a major role in real-time monitoring of aircraft systems and airport operations enhancing safety and efficiency.

What approaches are you taking to ensure seamless operations and integration across legacy and modern systems?

While many of the organisations have moved ahead in the digitisation curve and maybe left out with only few legacies that need to be managed, digital twins is an effective methodology as the cost of maintaining legacies becomes costlier by the day and unsustainable mid to long term.

How do you strengthen cyber security, manage risks, and ensure resilience across the IT landscape?

Zero trust architectures, AI driven monitoring and anomaly detection, along with collaborative threat intelligence sharing among all players are the key principles to adopt for addressing the new-age cyber security challenges and the risks. The regulators are also stepping up the scrutiny and providing guidance on the standards and frameworks that focus on protecting critical infrastructure, managing cyber risks holistically, and ensuring continuity of operations despite disruptions.

Apart from continuously strengthening the cyber security measures, holistic risk management needs to be implemented across the IT landscape. This gets embedded into the day-to-day operations by conducting simulations, continuous vulnerability assessments, periodical penetration testing, and imposing similar requirements among the 3rd party vendors.

Resiliency is built in parallel by mirroring IT systems, creating playbooks and using tabletop exercises to simulate them.

In what ways are data, AI, and analytics driving improved decision-making and operational efficiency?

AI driven analytics have already proven benefits in areas of predictive maintenance, optimised flight operations, personalised passenger services which is spearheading the operational efficiency of all airline operators which otherwise had been mammoth time-consuming activities. AI-powered systems help to rebook passengers, reroute aircraft, and manage crew assignments in real time during delays or cancellations thereby managing disruptions. 

What upcoming technology investments or initiatives do you see as essential for the next phase of digital and infrastructure transformation?

Majority of technology investments are expected to be in areas of cyber security, AI and agentic AI implementations, enhanced biometrics based Identity system, data analytics using IoT. Given the rising passenger demand, supply chain challenges, these have become essential for business operations. Digital transformation is shifting towards resilience and sustainability, creating digital sustainment platforms for maintenance, real-time monitoring of aircraft and airport infrastructure.