Hitit Computer Services was founded in 1994 by its managers raised from within the THY family, who have foreseen that the need of the global aviation sector for customized software would continually increase. Shown among the fastest growing technology firms of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region by the independent research companies, Hitit operates in its office located within ITU Teknokent since 2016 still with one hundred percent domestic capital and workforce comprised of more than two hundred Turkish engineers, and competes very successfully against the companies of thousands of people supported by multinational consortiums.
We had an enjoyable interview with Nur Gökman, the founding partner and still active CEO of Hitit.
- What is your reason for choosing the name Hitit?
While founding the company in 1994, it was advisable to choose one of the foreign words that were the order of the day then. Nevertheless, we deemed it appropriate to choose a name indicating that the origin of our country is Turkey and that it came from Anatolian territory. What mattered for us was to exhibit the courage of performing domestic production and to emphasize this from the first day. Hitit was the name bearing this courage and energy.
- What were the most compelling aspects of working in the aviation sector for you?
The aviation sector consists of online operations spread all over the world, which are constantly active on a 24/7 basis, and should be managed such that no interruption is allowed. Aviation practices involve a diversity that is not available in any other sector, and it is essential that you solve the operations in this diversity in the most optimum way. To give an example, hundreds of people waiting in the queue at the airport may be aggrieved with a disruption that emerges. Solutions requiring very serious expertise should be developed to prevent this and these are the products we produce.
- Although Hitit is in the first 5 places of the world in the sector ranking, Turkey is not known adequately. What do you think the reason of this is?
From the first day of we founded our Company, our objective was to do business abroad. We had to do this, in a sense, since there were not so many airline companies in Turkey then. We are working with very well trained people raised in Turkey and graduated from the departments in which those who rank in the first 1,000 places in the university exams study. We accomplished our goal in reflection of this force as creative to our products and to export this abroad. We are carrying on working to this end.
- So, what other services are there you will provide as Hitit for the Turkish Aviation and Tourism sector?
As Hitit, we developed a Loyalty System in 1994 within our possibilities available then. This system was chosen as the top product in the world in 2013, and became an application used by five-star airlines such as Etihad, Malaysia, Qatar and Thai.
While developing this solution, in parallel, we entered into the product development process in 2001 for the functions such as booking and ticketing, which constitute the center of an airline. Currently, we are taking initiatives on a path whereby we will serve by blending our full-scope airline applications with our loyalty system. We want to expand this by reflecting it to more different products in the tourism sector, and to offer it to the Turkish market in its expanded form.
- Have you had a project which influenced you the most since the day you founded Hitit?
It is impossible to discriminate between the projects. Today, when I look at the whole business, I see that we have developed the entire infrastructure necessary for the functioning of aviation. Hence, I am strongly attached to all of them. We will advance them by always conveying them to a better position. We are carrying on our practices on this route.
- What kind of difference does Hitit make in the sector with the products it develops, which gap does it close?
We allowed the airlines in Turkey to establish their own agency networks and to open their own direct sales channels via the Internet, without remaining dependent to the agency network systems dominating abroad. It is so nice that, thanks to this policy, we contributed to the airlines' offering the possibility of more effective, cheap travel to their passengers, and to air travel becoming more accessible.
On the other hand, we are continuing our journey that started with making our Loyalty System a very important product in the global market as one of the leading technology companies in airlines solutions.
- Where do you see Hitit in ten years’ time?
Today, we are among the top five in the aviation market. Our goal for the future is to further raise our rank. For instance, we may advance toward the bronze medal. (She smiles)
- Do you have any advice to the young people who are interested in aviation and tourism technology?
In my opinion, it is a must to turn technology into a lifestyle, without the need for using the expression "technology". On the other hand, they have to observe a job well, to observe the needs in the best way, and to be able to keep these in a continuous analytical order and to use them when necessary.
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