By Rishika Sadam and Sai Ishwarbharath B
HYDERABAD/BENGALURU, May 27 (Reuters) – U.S. carrier American Airlines Group 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 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, Walmart, McDonald’s, Nvidia and Eli Lilly 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.
(Reporting by Rishika Sadam in Hyderabad and Sai Ishwarbharath B in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Skariachan and Devika Syamnath)
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