American Airlines plans to double India tech hub staff, sources say

U.S. carrier American Airlines Group (AAL.O), opens new tab plans to double headcount at its India technology ​hub to about 800 by early next year, two people ‌familiar with the matter said.

Rival Southwest Airlines (LUV.N), opens new tab last week announced plans to expand its Hyderabad global capability center (GCC) to about 1,000 employees over the next ​few years.

Global firms such as JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), opens new tab, Walmart (WMT.O), opens new tab, McDonald’s (MCD.N), opens new tab, Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab ​and Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab have also expanded technology operations in ⁠India to tap its talent pool, as costs rise elsewhere and ​macro uncertainties persist.

Once mainly back-office units, these hubs now handle core ​functions including engineering, R&D, finance and operations.

American Airlines set up its Hyderabad hub in 2024 and employs about 400 staff focused on software engineering, AI and ​cybersecurity, the sources said.

The airline said it intends to continue ​hiring but did not share specific details on the headcount, saying only that ‌the ⁠hub has “several hundred” employees and forms part of its global technology network alongside U.S. teams.

“Teams in Fort Worth, Phoenix and Hyderabad work closely with the business to digitize processes, deploy new tools that ​improve speed to market ​and business ⁠outcomes, and build a more resilient airline and better experience for team members and customers,” the company ​told Reuters.

The airline has increased its IT investment ​and U.S.-based ⁠technology headcount every year since 2021, it added.

India has emerged as the world’s largest GCC hub, with more than 2,100 centers employing ⁠about 2.36 ​million people and generating nearly $100 billion ​in revenue, according to a 2026 Nasscom-Zinnov report. (Reuters)