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SITA has agreed to acquire Flightscape from CAE, adding airline operations software to its portfolio.
According to the companies, Flightscape's software is used by more than 90 airlines for flight planning, crew management, operations control, ground coordination and in-flight services.
The acquisition marks another step in SITA's push deeper into airline operations technology, beyond its long-established role in connecting systems and data across the air transport sector. Flightscape will add an operational layer to SITA's existing products, with integration work due to begin after the transaction closes.
Airline operations have become more complex as carriers face persistent disruption and rising passenger volumes. SITA said a central challenge is that industry partners often operate with only a partial view of events, even though each flight depends on coordination across the wider aviation network.
David Lavorel, Chief Executive Officer of SITA, said the deal is intended to help airlines respond with more joined-up decision-making.
"Airlines need to make the best possible use of their aircraft, crews and infrastructure while responding to increasingly complex operational challenges," Lavorel said. "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
Flightscape is part of CAE's airline software business and provides tools used in day-to-day operations centres. Those systems support decisions when schedules shift, disruption spreads across networks, and airlines need to rework plans involving aircraft, crews and airport activities.
SITA said much of the information shared across the aviation industry currently sits outside the systems where airlines make operational decisions. By bringing Flightscape into the business, it aims to link those decisions more closely with data from across the aviation ecosystem.
Yann Cabaret, Chief Executive Officer of SITA for Aircraft, outlined that approach in remarks on the transaction.
"The hardest decisions in an operations control center come when plans change and every minute counts," Cabaret said. "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."
Acquisition trail
The deal follows earlier SITA acquisitions in airline operations. In 2021, it bought Safety Line, whose software supports fuel-efficient flying. Earlier this year, it acquired Big Blue Analytics, which develops AI tools used to produce recovery plans for airline operations.
SITA said those businesses already work with a range of airline systems and that it plans to bring them together with Flightscape's software in stages while working with customers. It added that Flightscape's products would remain modular and open, allowing airlines to continue using selected products alongside existing systems.
That may reassure carriers already using Flightscape software that the change in ownership will not require a wholesale shift in technology. Customers will continue to receive the same service and support across flight operations and in-flight services, SITA said.
Strategic fit
For CAE, the transaction separates a specialist airline operations software business from a broader group better known for simulation and training. For SITA, which is owned by the air transport community, the purchase adds software closer to airlines' operational decision-making.
Carter Copeland, President of Flightscape, said the business would benefit from being part of an organisation with wider links across the aviation sector.
"I believe SITA is a natural home for Flightscape and an excellent strategic fit for the business," Copeland said. "This transaction positions Flightscape within an organization deeply connected to the global air transport industry. I am excited about what this combination will mean for Flightscape, its customers and its future."
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.