SITA and TechTalent Software have announced a strategic partnership to launch a Research and Development center in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The new center will support SITA’s focus on accelerating the development of new passenger processing and government solutions. As the recovery in air travel gathers pace, there is a strong demand for more automation from airports, governments, and airlines, driving substantial investment in the technology that SITA provides.

TechTalent Software will open and run a development center in Romania through a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement as part of the partnership. This will allow SITA to scale its development teams rapidly. With the first employees already in place, the office is expected to expand to more than 60 software engineers, testing teams, and scrum masters by 2023.

Alina Ionescu, chief people officer at SITA, said: “Over the past decade, Cluj-Napoca has emerged as a growing IT hub in the region, with a strong and experienced talent pool. The city will play a vital role in supporting our ambitious development program, particularly when IT skills are in high demand. After careful consideration, we are pleased to have chosen TechTalent as our technology partner to drive our expansion in Romania.”

Chris Bayer, VP Software Engineering at SITA, said: “At SITA, we lead one of the most exciting and advanced industries on earth. Around the world, nearly every passenger flight relies on SITA technology, and almost every airport and airline does business with us. It’s our job to enable, streamline and support their operations. We use Agile and DevOps methodologies to design and deliver our innovative solutions in a sustainable and incremental manner, which puts our customers at the heart of everything we do. Fostering a continuous learning environment where our people feel trusted and empowered to experiment is really important to us.”

Bayer notes that SITA has decided to invest in Cluj-Napoca because of the deep skills in leading-edge technologies available, the open-minded continuous learning culture and the great gender balance of female and male technology professionals. With over 1,200 IT companies employing more than 20,000 employees and constant support from local authorities and universities, Cluj-Napoca is well on its way to becoming a central digital hub in Eastern Europe.

Iuliana Badescu, CEO TechTalent Software, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by SITA as their partner in Eastern Europe. After a long and comprehensive validation process, we are pleased that this partnership confirms the maturity level of the dynamic IT industry in Romania and of TechTalent’s advanced level of technology and business knowledge.”