.webp)
SITA has agreed to acquire Flightscape, CAE's airline software business. Flightscape's software is used by more than 90 airlines worldwide.
The deal expands SITA's presence in airline operations software, adding products for flight planning, crew management, operations control, ground activity coordination and in-flight services. The business is expected to complement SITA's existing products, with integration work starting only after the transaction closes.
The acquisition gives SITA a stronger foothold in the systems airlines use to manage day-to-day operations when schedules change and disruption spreads across networks. It also adds a business with an established customer base at a time when carriers are under pressure to use aircraft, crews and airport infrastructure more efficiently.
Flightscape's products are used in operations control centres, where airlines make decisions on flights, crews and recovery plans. One aim of the transaction is to link those decisions more closely with data shared across the wider aviation network, where airports, ground handlers and other partners each hold part of the operational picture.
David Lavorel, Chief Executive Officer of SITA, said the acquisition is intended to strengthen the company's offering to airline customers as disruption becomes harder to manage.
"Airlines need to make the best possible use of their aircraft, crews and infrastructure while responding to increasingly complex operational challenges," said David Lavorel, Chief Executive Officer of SITA. "With Flightscape, we will bring together our complementary capabilities to strengthen what we offer airlines and connect their operational decisions with insight from across the aviation ecosystem. That will help our customers anticipate disruption, recover more effectively and run more resilient operations."
Operations focus
SITA has been expanding its airline operations portfolio through acquisitions in recent years. In 2021, it bought Safety Line, whose technology is used to improve fuel efficiency, and earlier this year it acquired Big Blue Analytics, whose artificial intelligence tools are used to build recovery plans. Those products will be brought together with Flightscape's systems in stages while remaining compatible with the systems airlines already use.
The transaction also reflects a broader shift in SITA's strategy. The company has long been known for linking systems and data flows across the air transport industry, but this purchase takes it deeper into the software layer where airlines make operational decisions.
Yann Cabaret, Chief Executive Officer of SITA for Aircraft, said the company sees growing demand for tools that give airline teams and their partners a shared operational view when plans change.
"The hardest decisions in an operations control centre come when plans change and every minute counts," said Yann Cabaret, Chief Executive Officer of SITA for Aircraft. "Technology and AI can now help airlines and their partners see more of what is happening and respond together. With Flightscape, our aim is to give an airline's operations team and its partners across the industry the same information when plans change, so they can recover as one operation rather than as separate parts."
Customer continuity
Flightscape customers will continue to receive the same service and support across flight operations and in-flight services after the deal closes. The products will remain modular and open, allowing airlines to choose individual tools and connect them with existing systems rather than move to a single software stack.
That approach may matter for carriers already operating a mix of legacy and specialist systems across flight operations, crew management and passenger service functions. By keeping the software modular, SITA appears to be aiming to limit disruption for existing users while widening its reach within airline operations departments.
For CAE, the sale marks the disposal of a software unit that has built a presence in airline operations. Carter Copeland, President of Flightscape, said the business would fit naturally within SITA's aviation network.
"I believe SITA is a natural home for Flightscape and an excellent strategic fit for the business," said Carter Copeland, President of Flightscape. "This transaction positions Flightscape within an organisation deeply connected to the global air transport industry. I am excited about what this combination will mean for Flightscape, its customers and its future."
SITA also expects to bring Flightscape's teams into the business as part of the transaction. The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.