Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited (BA), a premier boutique airline in Asia, has embarked on a significant digital transformation journey by adopting RISE with SAP on AWS. This comprehensive business transformation offering includes cloud solutions, infrastructure, and services aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, improving adaptability, and leveraging cutting-edge technologies to gain a competitive edge.
BA operates extensively across Asia, serving over 12 domestic and seven international destinations, and managing three airports. In 2023, the airline transported more than 4.4 million passengers, emphasizing the critical need for a robust and agile IT infrastructure. By integrating RISE with SAP on AWS, BA aims to future-proof its operations, ensuring increased reliability and agility to maintain a competitive stance in the ever-evolving aviation industry.
Monpraon Sukroongreung, Ph. D., Senior Director of Corporate Information Technology at Bangkok Airways, highlighted the transformative impact of this shift. The airline can now effortlessly scale capabilities during peak periods, resulting in significant cost savings and enhanced efficiency. The transition from on-premises systems to a cloud-based model has drastically reduced processing times, enabling faster generation of business-critical reports. This optimization of IT resource mobilization has led to more efficient ground operations and an improved passenger experience.
Navigating Market Challenges with Cloud Innovation
For nearly a decade, Bangkok Airways relied on SAP’s on-premises enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions to manage operational costs and profitability. However, the need for a more flexible and scalable system became evident as market conditions and technological advancements evolved. The COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the necessity for operational agility and resilience. BA’s proactive approach, in partnership with SAP, AWS, and NTT DATA Business Solutions, facilitated a seamless transition to a cloud environment.
Sukroongreung noted the pandemic’s significant disruption to the airline industry, highlighting the importance of digital transformation in ensuring BA’s operational resilience. The adoption of RISE with SAP on AWS has enabled BA to transition its SAP ERP architecture from a scale-out to a scale-up model, embracing a “clean core” strategy. This approach standardizes ERP processes and data with minimal modifications, allowing for cloud-compliant extensions and customizations as the business evolves. The result is streamlined maintenance efforts, reduced costs, and enhanced scalability.
Realizing the Benefits of RISE with SAP on AWS
Since the transition to the cloud in November 2023, Bangkok Airways has experienced notable improvements in system availability and efficiency. Centralized batch processing for back-office operations and workflow automation has also provided greater visibility into business processes across the organization. Furthermore, real-time insights now facilitate better data-driven decision-making, contributing to improved overall performance.
The enhanced disaster recovery capabilities inherent in the cloud environment have significantly reduced the risk of data loss and downtime. This improvement in system reliability benefits customers, employees, and stakeholders alike. Kulwipa Piyawattanametha, Managing Director of SAP Indochina, further emphasized the accelerated pace of change in the aviation sector and the critical role of a unified cloud operating model in reducing system complexities. The connected, central process and scalable digital core provided by RISE with SAP on AWS have also improved flight performance and profitability visibility for BA.
As Bangkok Airways continues to scale and transform its business, the robust ecosystem provided by SAP and AWS aligns well with its enterprise requirements. This ecosystem offers a broad range of services and solutions tailored to BA’s evolving needs. Sukroongreung expressed confidence in the airline’s ability to leverage this ecosystem to support ongoing growth and transformation.
