flydubai picks Hyderabad based tech start-up to promote API App Store

As part of this initiative, which will focus on Passenger Service Systems (PSS), a series of hackathons will be conducted throughout the year that will enable hackers across India to develop products covering various themes around air travel and customer experience.

As part of its commitment to India, flydubai is also setting up its first ‘Indian Development Centre’ (IDC) in Hyderabad. The Centre will lead flydubai’s IT and technology innovation and will be a hub for software development, research and operations.

The winners of the hackathon will be offered an internship with the airline and will have the opportunity to incubate their ideas to deliver innovative travel solutions and contribute to flydubai’s App Store.

Commenting on the announcement, Ramesh Venkat, flydubai’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), said: “This initiative with a leading start-up provides the opportunity for us to meet with some of the young developers currently driving innovation. The ideas generated from the hackathon, being held in India, will help to ensure that we remain at the forefront of technological developments. This platform will also help us build a strong relationship with the technology community in Hyderabad.”

Through this platform, the airline will create awareness amongst the developer community about its Open API strategy. HackMania, a talent acquisition product company, will mobilise and vet coders before they take part in the challenge.

“We are a young start-up and it is a great opportunity for us to work with an international airline like flydubai. This year long initiative is aimed at taking advantage of the wave of digital expansion. We expect participation from more than 100 hackers at the event and aim to develop around 15 working prototypes through this initiative,” said 23-year-old Rajat Shahi, Founder and CEO, HackMania.

The Hackathon will be held at T-Hub, Hyderabad on Saturday 09 July from 9 am (IST) and ends on Sunday 10 July at 4pm (IST). Hackers can register by 05 July on Hackerbay.co and those applicants who are shortlisted to participate in the hackathon will be notified by SMS and email.

flydubai currently operates 5 flights a week to Hyderabad from Dubai in addition to flights to seven more destinations in India including Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram. The airline operates a single type fleet of Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft. It has built a network of 89 destinations served by more than 1,700 flights a week operating out of Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).
 

Team FlyBot wins flydubai's first Air Travel Hackathon by Hyderabad-based HackMania

100 coders participated in developing innovative travel solutions for flydubai

Dubai-based flydubai's Air Travel Hackathon held on 09 and 10 July 2016 in Hyderabad saw participation from 100 developers. The hackathon, which was organised in partnership with Hyderabad-based tech start-up, HackMania, aimed at building ideas for enhancing air travel using flydubai's Application Programming Interface (API) from its newly launched developer and API portal https://developer.flydubai.com/.  The event was held at T-Hub, IIIT Campus.

FlyBot, an all girls' team, won the Hackathon and they received a prize of a trip to Dubai including three nights' accommodation as well as the opportunity to explore another destination on the flydubai network. The second prize was a return ticket to Dubai with three nights' stay and the team that won the third prize received return tickets to Dubai.

Selected from over 400 applicants the hackers were selected based on their knowledge of the coding language, their past experience of participating in a Hackathon. The event was focused on developing products around the themes of air travel and customer experience.  During the two days, teams pitched their ideas and received feedback from the panel of judges and mentors including flydubai's IT Team as well as other veterans from the travel and tech industry.

Commenting on the success of the Hackathon, Ramesh Venkat, flydubai's Chief Information Officer (CIO), said: "The flydubai team is committed to enhancing our product offerings. This initiative has helped us reach young bright minds and we are happy to see such high standards of innovation. We are keen to build on the ideas that have resulted from the Hackathon and use it to enrich our customer experience. This is only the beginning and we look forward to a wealth of ideas being generated from the entire series of Hackathons that are scheduled throughout the year. This will ensure that we remain at the forefront of our technological development."

flydubai' s open Application Programming Interface (API) strategy allows business partners, consumers and the developer communities to build a customised booking experience and create their own apps using a comprehensive set of APIs from reservations to check-in. The Hackathon is part of a series that flydubai will conduct throughout the year in order to promote its API App Store and connect with the young developer community that is driving innovation.

"We are overwhelmed with the tremendous response we received from the Hackathon. HackMania is proud to be part of this initiative and it is great to see an international airline like flydubai encourage innovation in the travel industry. Around 15 working prototypes were developed during the event. We hope that the ideas that were generated will help flydubai take its offerings to the next level," said 23-year-old Rajat Shahi, Founder and CEO, HackMania.

flydubai continues to invest in technology to offer an easy and friendly experience throughout its passengers' journey. The airline has recently enhanced its offering by adding WiFi and Live Television on board. On board passengers can enjoy its touch-screen In-Flight Entertainment system with over 2,000 hours of non-stop entertainment.

flydubai currently operates five flights a week to Hyderabad from Dubai in addition to flights to seven more destinations across India including Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.