Air Malta’s Digital Transformation Built on MuleSoft

MuleSoft, provider of the leading platform for building application networks, today announced that Air Malta, which carries two million passengers annually, is using MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform™ to broaden its reach in a highly competitive market and to improve operational efficiency through APIs. Anypoint Platform enables Air Malta to build an application network, so the airline can quickly connect new technologies with existing legacy systems – making it easier than ever to add new airline partners for growth and to create new opportunities to better serve customers. With MuleSoft, Air Malta is able to extend its digital presence and increase profitability by participating in the API economy, which enables business capabilities to be monetized using APIs.   

Air Malta operates a modern fleet of aircraft to more than 40 destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. The airline also offers travel to an additional 170 destinations through code-share partnerships with other airlines. To thrive in a competitive industry and exceed customer expectations, Air Malta embarked on a digital transformation journey with MuleSoft. Air Malta engaged MuleSoft consulting partner Ricston to build an application network using Anypoint Platform, connecting third-party software-as-a-service (SaaS), e-commerce platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) and airline booking systems.

“Air Malta recently reported profitability for the first time after two decades, growing operating revenue by €5.3 million to €197.5 million in the last fiscal year,” said Alan Talbot, CIO, Air Malta. “Technology investment has been a critical driver of this success, with MuleSoft at the center. With Anypoint Platform, we have created a sandbox for innovation across the organization without affecting core operations. MuleSoft provides a unified platform that enables even non-technical personnel to quickly create integrations. By democratizing access to data from legacy systems and across our enterprise, we are able to create new operational efficiencies and identify opportunities to better serve our customers.”

The Airline Industry Is on a Turbulent Ride to Digitize

According to the recent Connectivity Benchmark Report, 59 percent of IT leaders say their legacy infrastructure makes it hard to introduce new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), big data and the internet of things (IoT). Airlines are struggling to innovate, operate efficiently and offer personalized services. With valuable data trapped across siloed legacy systems, the industry is challenged to access the right information at the right time to move faster and deliver on customer demands. Its aging IT infrastructure is no longer fit to operate in the modern digital world, hampering growth and profitability.

“We couldn’t afford to stand still and remain as we were. We needed to change our business and IT operating model to survive,” said Talbot. “Technology has become the ultimate enabler for the business, so we can drive and create change. MuleSoft’s hybrid integration platform with API capabilities allows us to connect to the latest cloud technologies and differentiate our services.”

MuleSoft Provides Air Malta the Foundation for Speed and Innovation

By developing an application network of reusable APIs, Air Malta is able to distribute its commercial relations and flight operations information more effectively and securely within the organization and with partners. For example, Anypoint Platform empowered Air Malta to improve customer service through a closer integration among the airline’s reservation system, e-commerce platforms and its Salesforce instance. This connectivity enables sales staff to easily roll out joint offers with other airlines, provide customers with the most relevant “just-in-time” information, and make modifications to flight arrangements faster.

One of Air Malta’s significant projects was the introduction of best-of-breed flight planning solutions from Lufthansa to optimize route planning, improve flight operations management and handle reservations more quickly. Previously, it would have taken 18 months to deploy the solutions. Instead, it took one-third of the time with reusable APIs built on Anypoint Platform. Similarly, Air Malta used some of the existing APIs to integrate with Ryanair, one of the biggest airline brands in Europe. The integration allows Air Malta to sell its flights from the Ryanair website and meet customers where they are. The project took only 11 weeks, reducing the standard delivery timeline by almost two-thirds.

Air Malta’s Application Network Opens Up New Opportunities in the API Economy

According to Talbot, “We want to launch a platform to help anyone who wants to do business with us. MuleSoft allows us to leverage the API economy to broaden our reach in a hugely competitive market. With an application network built on Anypoint Platform, we can securely share our data on inventory, services and products to any company that wants to work with us.”

Over the next few years, Talbot aims to turn the IT department from a cost center into a profit center. The ability to leverage API monetization and add new digital channels will be crucial to Air Malta’s goal to create sustainable growth. Air Malta will use MuleSoft to develop a fully integrated, omnichannel platform, using the same approach for integrating into Ryanair’s website with pluggable APIs.

Air Malta is also looking to continue to add new technologies and services to widen its competitive edge. Talbot expects emerging technologies, such as AI, machine learning and blockchain, to support efforts in personalizing customer experiences, with Anypoint Platform at the center to make them all work together.

About Air Malta

Over its 45-year history, Air Malta has transported over 60 million passengers. The airline has been instrumental in opening up and connecting Malta to the rest of the world, diversifying and presenting new tourism market opportunities to and from the Maltese Islands.

The airline offers customers a selection of over 40 scheduled destinations to Europe, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean and operates with a fleet of 10 Airbus aircraft configured in business and economy.

Salesforce Announces Salesforce Tower Dublin, Commits to Adding 1,500 New Jobs in Ireland

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM), the global leader in CRM, today announced Salesforce Tower Dublin, significantly expanding the company’s regional headquarters in Ireland. As part of the expansion, Salesforce plans to add 1,500 new local jobs over the next five years. Salesforce.org, the philanthropic arm of Salesforce, also announced a $1 million grant to Educate Together, supporting the opening and running of schools in Ireland. Today’s announcements were made with the Irish Prime Minister, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD at an event in the Convention Centre Dublin where nearly 1,000 Salesforce employees were present to hear details of the new plans.

Salesforce Tower Dublin will be an urban campus of four interconnected buildings located on North Wall Quay within Dublin’s vibrant Silicon Docks, overlooking the River Liffey. Salesforce employees are due to start moving into the 430,000 Sq ft campus in mid-2021. Salesforce Tower Dublin is being developed by Ronan Group Real Estate and Colony Capital.

Plans for Salesforce Tower Dublin will include an immersive video lobby experience; riverside paths connecting the campus to the cultural city hub; and an “Ohana Floor”, an open hospitality space for Salesforce employees, customers and partners, which will also be available for not-for-profit organisations and local community groups to use on weeknights and weekends at no cost.

New Campus Supports Salesforce's Continued Growth in Ireland

Salesforce has been named one of Ireland’s Best Places to Work for three years and the Best Workplace in Europe in 2018. Salesforce Tower Dublin will be a regional hub for employees across sales, customer service, technical and business operations delivering new innovations to its more than 150,000 customers around the world. Salesforce has over 1,400 employees in Dublin and more than 34,000 employees worldwide. With plans to add 1,500 new jobs over the next five years, the company is actively recruiting for roles across all functions including engineering, customer support, sales and business services. Ireland is home to many Salesforce customers including Brown Thomas Arnotts, Icon PLC, Property Button and Ulster Bank.

New Innovations in Sustainability

Salesforce Tower Dublin will be one of the most sustainable office campuses in Ireland and one of Salesforce’s most sustainable building projects to date. The building will be LEED v4 Core and Shell Platinum Certified. Also, Salesforce is pursuing LEED v4 Commercial Interiors Platinum Certification and ILFI Net Zero Carbon Certification. The all electric building will be one of the first commercial occupied nZEB (nearly Net Zero Energy Building) in Dublin and will source 100% renewable energy with some onsite solar and innovative battery storage to meet the company’s commitment to low carbon buildings. In addition, its innovative green roof with rainwater capture will sequester carbon and filter water while providing accessible green space in the heart of the city.

Supporting Ireland Education with $1 Million Grant for Ireland’s Educate Together

Salesforce is also committed to giving back to the community and today Salesforce.org, the philanthropic arm of Salesforce, announced a grant of $1 million to Educate Together, an educational charity that operates equality-based schools in Ireland with 84 primary schools and 13 second-level schools, providing education for over 28,000 pupils. The grant, which is Salesforce.org’s largest European grant to date, will support the opening of new equality-based schools in Ireland, the development of a Quality Framework for existing schools in the network, support professional development programmes for teachers, and the further development of the organisation’s unique Ethical Education curriculum.

Ebony Frelix, EVP & Chief Philanthropy Officer of Salesforce.org said, “As the patron body for almost 100 schools in Ireland, we were impressed by Educate Together’s commitment to equality and human rights-based education. The democratic and culturally inclusive ethos of Educate Together as well as their focus on student engagement, community involvement, and the equality of access are all reasons we are excited to be supporting Educate Together.”

Paul Rowe, CEO of Educate Together thanked Salesforce.org for their grant saying, “The generosity of Salesforce.org will have a wonderful impact on the work of Educate Together. It will directly benefit our students, the efforts of our teachers and the many families that are seeking our model of education. We are particularly excited that the grant will allow us to develop our important ‘Quality Framework’ which we hope will increase participation and innovation in all our schools. We also are enthused with the alignment of our Ethical Education curriculum and its focus on education for local, national and global sustainability with Salesforce.org’s philanthropic goals.”

The initiatives from Educate Together further build on Salesforce.org’s commitment to improve the quality of schools and opportunities in the communities where Salesforce employees live and work. As part of its model of giving time, technology and resources back to the community, Salesforce.org has given more than $1.6 million in grants to support “Future Ready” organisations in Ireland including Bridge21, Citywise Education, Educate Together, St. Dominic’s School in Balleyfermot and St. Peter’s School in Bray. In addition, Salesforce employees in Ireland are committing to deliver 38,000 total employee volunteer hours to community programmes in 2019.