Southwest Airlines Opens Global Innovation Centre in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: IT and industries minister D. Sridhar Babu on Wednesday inaugurated Southwest Airlines’ first global innovation centre in India at Saatva Knowledge City near HITEC City. The facility, set up by Southwest Airlines India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the US-based airline, is its only centre outside the United States.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said Hyderabad had laid the foundation for India’s modern aviation ecosystem over 25 years ago with one of the country’s first private airport initiatives under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Since then, the city has evolved into a leading hub for aviation, aerospace and space technology.

“The launch of Southwest Airlines’ Global innovation centre further strengthens Hyderabad’s emergence as a major global hub for aviation, travel, hospitality and enterprise technology. With global capability centres and innovation hubs established by companies such as American Airlines, Marriott International and now Southwest Airlines, Hyderabad is steadily building a strong innovation ecosystem in these sectors,” he said.

Lauren Woods, executive vice-president and chief information officer of Southwest Airlines, said the Hyderabad centre would help advance the company’s vision by building critical business and technology capabilities.

“Hyderabad offers one of the deepest talent pools in analytics, engineering and innovation, making it an ideal location for the next phase of our journey. The new office will expand our global talent network, supporting our business operations and long-term growth,” she said.

Designed as a globally integrated innovation and talent hub, the Hyderabad centre will play a key role in advancing Southwest Airlines’ technology-driven transformation and global operational excellence. The facility will support capabilities across engineering, analytics, automation, cyber security, digital platforms, operational innovation and next-generation enterprise solutions.