Global airports unite to trial startup tech aiming to transform sustainability, AI and passenger experience

Airports for Innovation (A4I), a coalition of ten leading global airport operators, has announced the winners of its first joint call for startups, marking a major step in industry-wide innovation. The initiative, launched between 12 September and 28 October 2024, sought pioneering digital solutions to address four key challenges in aviation, including sustainability, AI and passenger experience. A total of 292 proposals from 283 startups across 36 countries were submitted, with 25 finalists presenting their ideas during Pitch Days held on 27–29 January 2025.

The ten founding members of A4I are Aeroporti di Roma, Aena, Athens International Airport, Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Vancouver International Airport, Munich Airport, Dubai Airports, Oman Airports, and Narita International Airport. Their shared goal is to test and eventually scale innovative solutions that enhance operations, improve sustainability, and deliver superior passenger experiences.

Startups were invited to pitch solutions across four challenge categories:

Challenge 1 – seamless travel experience:
Winner: GoodMaps, whose indoor navigation platform utilises LiDAR scanning and patented computer vision positioning. The app delivers audio, visual and haptic guidance, offering customisable navigation for all passengers.

Challenge 2 – sustainable aviation:
Winner: Janta Power, a cleantech company behind the world’s first scalable 3D solar solution. Their patented system boosts energy output while conserving land and cutting costs, supporting the shift to clean power.

Challenge 3 – smart luggage revolution:
Winner: Pattern, which integrates robotics and data infrastructure to optimise airport baggage and ground operations. From forecasting to autonomous shuttles and teleoperated robotics, Pattern provides tailored automation for each airport.

Challenge 4 – AI-powered airports:
Winners: Tomorrow.io, delivering precise weather forecasts through AI-driven models and satellite data, and Ultralytics, known for its YOLO (You Only Look Once) vision AI models. “Ultralytics empowers users with easy-to-use, cutting-edge AI technology,” helping industries simplify and scale intelligent automation.

A4I confirmed that pilot projects began with a kick-off event on 22 May 2025. The winning startups will validate their innovations in real airport environments across A4I member hubs over the coming months.

“This act marked the beginning of a strategic collaboration between A4I members and the selected startups,” the organisation stated. The pilots will assess effectiveness and scalability, aiming to establish new industry benchmarks and reshape the future of air travel.

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