Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways, announced April 18, a new partnership to test and grow innovations for IAG brands and the aviation industry at PIT.
IAG, one of the world's largest airline groups with 94 million passengers served each year, will leverage PIT’s xBridge innovation program, which has a proven record of working with both established and startup technology companies to develop tech solutions for aviation and other industries.
“We are committed to driving innovation and working with like-minded airports and suppliers to drive change within our industry, for the benefit of customers. We look forward to working with the PIT team to explore exciting new solutions with the robotics and tech community,” said Gurm Nijjer, IAG’s Senior Vice President of Americas.
The unique agreement builds upon IAG and PIT’s shared vision to drive the aviation industry forward by developing technological solutions to safety, customer experience and operational efficiency challenges for both airlines and airports.
Today’s announcement is the latest in a growing relationship between Pittsburgh and IAG as British Airways will also add two additional weekly flights this summer between PIT and London Heathrow (for a total of six), underscoring the strengthening connection between these two organizations and cities.
The announcement also comes on the first day of the Aviation & Robotics Summit, an invitation-only conference designed to connect aviation officials from around the globe with roboticists based in Pittsburgh in order to build industry partnerships between them. With institutions like Carnegie Mellon University and thriving industry ecosystems like Robotics Row, the Summit has an ideal home in Pittsburgh.
The Summit is a joint effort between Pittsburgh’s Innovation Works, which is leading the project with a portion of $63 million in funding from the federal Build Back Better program awarded to the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative; the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which partnered with Future Travel Experience to bring the global aviation industry to Pittsburgh; the Pittsburgh Robotics Network; and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
“Pittsburgh’s tech economy is known as a world leader, and we are so pleased to welcome a global company like IAG—which has driven innovation throughout the aviation industry—to partner with PIT’s successful xBridge program,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
PIT’s success as a test bed for a wide variety of innovative applications—both inside and outside its terminals—increased the appeal for IAG, which identified the airport as a key partner with whom to cultivate additional technological advancements.
“PIT is at the forefront of aviation innovation and recognizes the power our airport can provide to test automation for this industry and beyond. We are thrilled to partner with IAG, an aviation leader and innovator itself, to develop groundbreaking solutions for its passengers and the industry right here at xBridge,” said Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Christina Cassotis. “I’m excited about the possibilities with this special partnership, and I thank IAG for selecting PIT as a partner for innovation.”
“In the Pittsburgh region, we are applying our most powerful innovation assets, including two Tier-1 research universities, to serve as a hub for tangible outcomes that are changing the world. Across a set of high-growth economic sectors, including robotics and AI, our region is forging unique partnerships like this one to materialize big ideas with power to shape the future of the aviation industry and beyond. Pittsburgh’s doors are wide open to companies—domestic and international—looking to tap into this world-class innovation ecosystem,” said Matt Smith, chief growth officer, Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
