Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has signed an agreement with leading workforce management software provider, Kronos Incorporated, to automate and optimize planning and management processes for its 3,900 cabin and flight crew members.

Developed by the Kronos AD OPT division, the crew planning software system, which includes Altitude Pairing, Altitude Rostering, and Altitude Insight solutions, will help the Abu Dhabi-based airline increase the quality of its crew planning and improve the stability of crew rosters.

Powered by state-of-the-art advanced optimization technology, these AD OPT solutions will enable Etihad Airways to better manage and deploy its crew resources and build more efficient and cost effective crew schedules.

Richard Hill, Etihad Airways’ chief operations officer said: “In the next 10 years, the number of Etihad Airways flights will triple and it is vital that we have modern crew planning systems in place to optimize crew utilization.

“The adoption of the Kronos AD OPT solutions will enable us to increase operational efficiency and improve our strategic resource planning processes to sustain our long-term business strategies.”

Tom Ivaskiv, vice president and general manager, AD OPT division, Kronos, added: “We are pleased to partner with Etihad Airways to help it continue to achieve and exceed business objectives.

“Increasingly airlines across the world are turning to us for advanced crew management solutions to control operational costs, enhance planning performance, and improve crew members’ satisfaction.”

The airline currently operates more than 3,600 flights per month and has more than 4,000 crew members.