American Airlines Bets Big on India With Major Tech Workforce Expansion

By the beginning of next year, American Airlines Group intends to have increased the number of workers at its Hyderabad technological hub in India from 400 to 800. This growth is indicative of a general tendency among MNCs to pour more money into India's global capability centres (GCCs). The action is done in order to take advantage of the country's talented tech workforce and control growing operational expenses in other areas.

A number of multinational firms have bolstered their technological operations in India. These include Walmart, JPMorgan Chase, McDonald's, Nvidia, and Eli Lilly. The move is primarily motivated by the growing trend of GCCs assuming more and more responsibility for key domains, including engineering, R&D, cybersecurity, finance, and operations.

Why American Airlines Choose Hyderabad?

In 2024, American Airlines set up its technological hub in Hyderabad. Approximately 400 individuals specialising in software engineering, AI, and cybersecurity are currently employed by the company. The airline has stated that it will keep employing, but it has not revealed any particular employment goals. The Hyderabad site was characterised as an integral element of its extensive global technology network, which collaborates with teams in Fort Worth and Phoenix in the US.

According to the business, its teams work together to enhance operational efficiency and customer experience, fortify the airline's resilience, and digitise procedures. American Airlines has been steadily increasing its IT employment in the United States and its investments in technology since 2021. A Nasscom-Zinnov report from 2026 states that with over 2,100 centres, 2.36 million employees, and approximately $100 billion in sales, India has become the biggest GCC hub in the world.

Southwest Airlines to Hire 1000 People in Hyderabad

Southwest Airlines' recently established Global Innovation Centre in Hyderabad aims to hire approximately 1,000 people in the next years. The move is part of the airline's strategy to fortify its engineering and technological capacities in countries other than the US.

According to remarks made by senior corporate executive Krishna Kallepalli in an interview with a media outlet, the Hyderabad location is Southwest Airlines' first global capabilities centre outside of its headquarters operations. The airline plans to increase the number of staff at the centre from the current twelve to around two hundred in the near future.

Southwest Airlines, one of the major US airlines, will use the centre to drive capabilities in deep tech, artificial intelligence/machine learning, data science, data analytics, digital engineering, cybersecurity, enterprise platforms, digital operations, and next-generation product development.