IAR’s Airport Leader of the Future Pablo Lopez discusses building autonomous airports, empowering people, and falling in love with the problem

At just 33 years old, Pablo Lopez has already played a defining role in shaping how one of the world’s largest airport operators approaches innovation. As Head of Ideation & Entrepreneurship at Aena, he sits at the intersection of technology, culture and strategy, helping steer innovation across a network of 46 airports and two heliports in Spain, and 34 airports in Brazil, UK, Mexico and Jamaica.

Pablo joined Aena in 2016 after a year at Airbus, initially as Project Manager for Innovation and Customer Experience. Since then, his career trajectory has mirrored Aena’s own acceleration in digital transformation. From taking part in the design of the company’s first Strategic Innovation and Digital Transformation Plan (2021–2026), to embedding open innovation through Aena Ventures and intrapreneurship via INNOVA, his work has driven both tangible operational impact and a deeper cultural shift.

It was this combination of vision, execution and people-first leadership that saw Pablo named International Airport Review’s Airport Leader of the Future, with the accolade presented at the International Airport Summit in Berlin.

Pablo accepting his award at the International Airport Summit 2025 in Berlin.

Designing innovation at scale

One of Pablo’s most significant achievements has been actively participating in the design and implementation of Aena’s first strategic innovation and digital transformation roadmap. This is no small task for an organisation operating dozens of airports with vastly different operational realities.

“For me, I think the biggest challenge was to design and create the strategic plan itself when we decided to strongly push innovation in our organisation and also include it in our DNA,” he explains.

Rather than imposing a top-down vision, the strategy was built collaboratively. “We decided to closely collaborate with the different units. We met with each of them, and we wanted to understand their needs; all the technologies they will need for the future and how they see their unit evolving in the next five years.”

Those inputs were distilled into four clear pillars: efficiency, new revenue streams, passenger experience and sustainability. Just as critical, however, was securing long-term investment from the company.

From automation to autonomous airports

Under Pablo’s leadership, technologies such as drones, generative AI and remote-controlled infrastructure have moved from pilots to real-world deployment. But when asked which will have the biggest impact over the next five years, his answer is unequivocal.

Aena is already exploring Agentic AI capable of acting on multiple data sources. “We have a vision for the airport of the future, which will be included in the second edition of our Digital and Innovation strategy, and that is to have completely autonomous airports. We see airports that are increasingly autonomous, sustainable, and where passengers can manage everything related to their journey from their mobile phone in an autonomous way.”

Lessons from Madrid’s remotely operated jet bridges

That vision is already becoming reality in Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD), the first hub globally to operate all 129 jet bridges remotely from three control centres. For Pablo, the project offers a blueprint for large-scale automation in a heavily regulated environment.

“The main thing was to move step-by-step and validate every stage before moving to the next one,” he says. Trials began at medium-sized airports such as Sevilla (SVQ) and Vigo (VGO) before scaling to a major hub, with each phase validated alongside airlines, ground handlers, safety agencies and airport staff.

“We began with remote driving for our control room inside the airport. We then moved the control room from the airport to an outside location (for example to another city), and later we replaced the joystick control of the boarding bridges with an autonomous button that was automatic.”

The results speak for themselves. “We have achieved very good results in terms of efficiency in this process,” he notes, particularly through reducing staff movement and operational delays. “Now, instead of having one person physically present to operate one jet bridge, you can have one person remotely operating several jet bridges at the same time, rather than moving to the next bridge at the other end of the concourse.”

Pablo moderated a discussion on AI-driven ground operations at the International Airport Summit 2025 in Berlin,

And this isn’t all. As Pablo explains, they are also testing autonomous driving in parallel with the autonomous jet bridges, as a next step in the evolution of this solution.

Making innovation everyone’s job

While technology is a major theme, Pablo is clear that cultural change matters just as much. Through Aena Ventures and INNOVA, he has helped open innovation up to start-ups and employees alike.

“In open innovation, we collaborate with start-ups… start-ups from all countries can apply,” he explains, creating a pathway for young companies to work with a public airport operator where it is traditionally very difficult for start-ups to participate in tenders.

INNOVA, meanwhile, is Aena’s internal entrepreneurship programme, which empowers employees across Aena in Spain, the UK and Brazil to propose and develop their own ideas.

“Overcoming cultural resistance in large organisations is not easy,” Pablo admits. “But one key thing has been involving employees in all these initiatives. For instance, in Aena Ventures, we select mentors from our different business units to support the start-ups through the process. These employees are usually performing jobs not related to innovation, and we connect them to the entrepreneurship world where they learn new ways of working and work with other kinds of companies, which naturally shifts their mindsets.”

Today, participation is strong. More than 1000 employees have taken part in INNOVA so far, with many returning year after year. In fact, the programme is now in its seventh edition. “The most important thing is that employees can participate in the execution of their ideas. That makes them fully part of the change.”

Employees receive training in areas such as making a business plan and presenting to an executive committee, which are skills for life. The winners can present their proposals in front of the CEO and steering committee.

Collaboration beyond borders

Pablo has also been instrumental in expanding Aena’s role in international collaboration, notably in leading the ACI Europe Innovation Forum in 2023 and 2024 and co-founding the Airports for Innovation Alliance with Aeroporti di Roma in 2021, which now consists of 10 airports from around the world.

“Working together and sharing experiences allows us to move from local innovation to global innovation in the sector,” he says. “I think it’s the way to make a real impact in the airport sector as we can innovate at a global level.”

That openness extends to sharing failures as well as successes. “We are fully transparent with all the members, and what is nice is that now, when you have a question or a problem, you can pick up the phone and call for instance Munich or Fiumicino Airport and ask for something.”

Advanced air mobility: A ‘Eureka’ moment!

Aena is involved in different initiatives related to advanced air mobility, but one of its main projects is ‘Eureka’, a project funded by the SESAR 3 programme, which will hold a demo day in February at Palma de Mallorca Airport .

“We will try to make a demo flight from the airport to another small aerodrome in the island to move medical cargo with a drone, all while keeping the airport open and operational. As airports, we need to evolve our infrastructure for this new mode of mobility. This requires a change of mindset in integrating the operational procedures of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with our current environment, ensuring that they can co-exist with the daily operations of the airport. In addition, decisions will need to be made regarding vertiports design, whether a terminal is required or not and whether the passenger is going to arrive to the landside or airside. There are so many exciting considerations.”

Advice for the next generation of innovators

For young professionals aspiring to lead innovation in airports, Pablo’s advice is refreshingly grounded.

“Be willing to join any project, even if it is not from your area of the business. The most important thing is to stay curious and eager to learn because this industry moves very fast,” he says. An open mindset, a proactive attitude and the confidence to speak up all matter. “Be positive, proactive and disruptive! Propose your ideas, even if they’re not the finished article, because they could spark other concepts, or even be used in part. This is the sort of attitude you need to work in an innovation unit.”

One piece of advice he received early in his career continues to guide his approach: “Don’t fall in love with your ideas, fall in love with the problem.”

“In innovation, the goal is not to defend a solution just because it’s yours,” he reflects. “You need to deeply understand the problem and be willing to change decisions as many times as needed. In the end, the best solution appears when you stop protecting your own ideas and focus on what is truly needed.”

For an industry facing rapid technological, operational and cultural change, that mindset may be exactly why Pablo represents the future of airport leadership.

International Airport Review will be running the Airport Leader of the Future Award again this year as part of our Airport Honour Awards! If you are interested in entering then register your interest to be the first to know when the 2026 awards launch!

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