Hyderabad, June 9 (IANS): Low cost carrier Flydubai will set 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 Dubai-based airline said in a statement.

It also announced a partnership with Hyderabad-based tech startup, HackMania, to promote its Application Programming Interface (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, it said.

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.

"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," said Ramesh Venkat, Flydubai's chief information officer (CIO).

"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 Rajat Shahi, Founder and CEO, HackMania.

The hackathon will be held at T-Hub, Hyderabad on from 9 a.m. on July 9 till 4 p.m. on July 10. 

Hackers can register by July 5 on Hackerbay.co.

Flydubai currently operates five 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.