Mumbai, March 29 (IANS) Announcing the double migration of Air India and Indian Airlines to SITA's Horizon passenger services system (PSS), Air India said it will now operate as a single unified carrier paving the way for the entry into the Star Alliance in mid-2011.

Anticipating improvement in its revenue channel due to the PSS, Arvind Jadhav, chairman and managing director of Air India, said: "We are expecting a 15 percent improvement in the bottom-line revenue channels as the new system will allow us better management."

The passenger service system allows an airline to sell its seats. It contains information on schedules and fares. The PSS also has a database of reservations and issued tickets.

Jadhav said the airline targets its 30 percent sales to be online in two years.

"We have a vision to make Air India the best airline in Indian aviation and India's ambassador to the world. Our strategic partnership with SITA, which provides services to the air transport industry not only in India but all over the world, is important in helping us achieve this," he told reporters here.

SITA, the leading specialists in air transport communications and IT solutions, completed the migration of the two separate airlines' (Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines) IT platforms in a record 293 days.

"This included the successful transfer of more than half a million passenger name records (PNRs) with 99.9 percent accuracy," Jadhav said.

SITA's PSS is now established in AI with over a month of daily use and has been integrated into routine operation.

Through the new platform, the airline is presenting its passengers with a more efficient and functionally rich online booking engine, as well as kiosk check-in and web check-in.

Following the initial PSS implementation, SITA is working with Air India to incorporate additional capabilities and further customise its service delivery.

The airline is also planning to implement the new system and integrate it with the cargo delivery by the next year.

SITA has earlier completed such a migration for the Malasiya Airlines, besides a few others.

"The complex double migration to the SITA Horizon platform is a huge achievement and I am delighted with our swift delivery," said Francesco Violante, chief executive officer of SITA.