by Elsie Clark | May 29, 2026 | AI & ML
French aircraft manufacturer Airbus have announced a new partnership with Mistral AI. Spanning the company’s entire operational chain, the agreement will expand the use of AI across Airbus’s activities.
Four key opportunities for integration have been noted, with some projects already underway. These cover:
- Automating technical documents production and making workflows more intuitive.
- Using AI-powered simulations and optimisations to accelerate design innovation, as well as development and test phases.
- AI models to make aircraft and spacecraft more intelligent, for example automatic object recognition and improved operational safety.
- Specific defence applications, including cyber investigation and coding assistants.
Airbus stress that AI deployment will meet stringent security standards to maintain the confidentiality of critical defence and aerospace data.
Catherine Jestin, Executive Vice President Digital at Airbus, said:
This partnership paves the way for the deployment of high-impact, high-value use cases of trusted and responsible AI in aerospace. Thanks to the high-performance models and made-to-measure support of Mistral AI experts, we are building the foundations necessary to power our current and future products and services, enabling us to serve our customers better.
Founded in 2023, Mistral AI are a French company whose customers include Cisco and HSBC. Timothée Lacroix, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Mistral AI, commented:
We are proud to partner with Airbus and contribute to its critical industrial operations. Together, we will deploy Mistral’s fully integrated AI stack to accelerate innovation, contribute to improve flight safety, and deliver greater value for customers.
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by Elsie Clark | May 28, 2026 | MRO IT
International Airlines Group (IAG) member Aer Lingus have announced a new commercial partnership with AISmartPlan.
The startup joined the IAGi Accelerator in 2025, a dedicated programme helping IAG’s airlines connect with emerging companies. AISmartPlan’s innovative system has reduced manual processes and helps engineers better visualise their work with its automatic engineer/aircraft pairing software and drag-and-drop tools.
Lucas De Almeida Ramos Faria, Maintenance Production Planning Manager at Aer Lingus, said:
The way maintenance tasks were allocated to our engineers was previously highly manual and time consuming, which limited how far ahead we could plan. The IAGi Accelerator programme provided us with a valuable opportunity to work with AISmartPlan and test an AI optimised approach using real operational constraints. This partnership marks a fundamental change in how we plan and optimise maintenance. What used to take hours each day can now be done in minutes, and with far greater confidence in the outcome.
In just three months the startup advanced their solution from a proof-of-concept to an operational system supporting everyday MRO at Aer Lingus. With the signing of a multi-year agreement, AISmartPlan are also considering scaling their work to other IAG airlines.
Since its establishment ten years ago, the IAGi Accelerator has partnered with more than 120 companies. Nicolas Grondin, Founder of AISmartPlan, commented:
Our goal has always been to fully automate maintenance planning and make complex plans instantly visible and actionable. The IAGi Accelerator gave us an incredible opportunity that early-stage companies rarely get – deep operational engagement with an airline that was willing to test, challenge and cocreate the solution with us. Aer Lingus’ feedback directly shaped the product and proved its market fit in aviation.
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by Elsie Clark | May 28, 2026 | Innovation
Airbus have blamed supply chain difficulties as it delays delivery of Qantas’s first ultra-long-haul A350-1000.
Nicknamed ‘Project Sunrise’, Qantas plans to use the aircraft to run direct flights from Sydney Kingsford Smith to London Heathrow and New York JFK. The Australia-US flight will last 22 hours, and is possible thanks to a 20,000-litre fuel tank.
Airbus had been scheduled to deliver the first of 12 A350-1000s to Qantas at the end of this year. However, the Toulouse-based manufacturer has pushed the date back to April 2027.
A Qantas spokesperson said:
We continue to work closely with Airbus on the delivery and certification process that will enable us to begin operating these history-making ultra long-haul flights.
Supply chain issues have blighted the aviation industry for several years now. In its 2025 end-of-year report, Airbus reported a record backlog of 8,754 commercial aircraft. Engine suppliers Prattt & Whitney were blamed as the principal cause of delays. An increasingly fragmented geopolitical environment has been complicated further by the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, exacerbating supply chain complications.
Qantas assert that test flights of the A350-1000 will begin within weeks, and that pilot training in the simulator is underway. The inaugural route and schedule for Project Sunrise is also set to release in the coming months.
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by Elsie Clark | May 27, 2026 | Innovation, Sustainability
easyJet and Amstedam Schiphol have rolled out an automated TaxiBot system for quieter and more sustainable ground operations.
TaxiBot is a semi-robotic tractor that moves aircraft between gates and the runway. During the process, the aircraft only operates with its Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) rather than the engine, significantly reducing fuel consumption, noise levels, and overall carbon emissions.
Following a successful trial, four easyJet aircraft are being equipped for TaxiBot compatabiity. The airline say the system will save an average of 95 kilograms of fuel and 299 kilograms of CO2 per flight.
David Morgan, Chief Operating Officer at easyJet:
As we continue to modernise our operations, initiatives like this demonstrate how innovation and collaboration across the industry can help reduce aviation’s environmental impact both in the air and on the ground.
TaxiBot is part of the carrier’s programme to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Amsterdam Schiphol, meanwhile, wants to reach sustainable taxiing operations by 2035. The airport say that widespread deployment of TaxiBot could reduce fuel consumption during taxiing by as much as 65%.
Esmé Valk, Chief People and Transformation Officer at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, added:
This is how we’re creating a healthier and cleaner workplace, and an ever more sustainable and modern airport that is ready for the future.
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by Elsie Clark | May 26, 2026 | Innovation
Last week, Overwatch AI announced they’d successfully raised $1.5 million in funding, with contributors including the venture arms of United Airlines and Pegasus. Back in March, we spoke to CPTO Nikita Kaeshko at our sister event Aviation Festival Asia, fresh off the company’s win at our Startup Pitch Competition, to hear more about their innovative product.
We are trying to help make decisions for the aircraft crews – cockpit, cabin and OCC staff.
Overwatch have build a decision support system fusing a variety of sources together: company guidelines, aircraft manuals, and live APIs such as flight and runway data. The goal is to create an accessible AI platform that staff can search in plain language. Kaeshko notes that many disruptions are caused by airlines’ internal efficiencies. By making it more intuitive to find critical information, Overwatch are breaking down siloes and improving crew awareness.
We’ve seen some pretty promising indicators with our first deployments. Airlines can make decisions faster: what previously took them half an hour to check they can now get in less than two minutes.
To ensure that every output is verifiable, the AI platform provides sources for any information given. Alongside contributing to the recent investment round, Pegasus have been among the first airlines to test Overwatch’s technology, with some success. Encouraging results across 30,000 flights from Overwatch partners include a 4.6-times increase in compliant decision-making and a 6.6% increase in crew productivity.
Looking ahead, Kaeshko and his business partner, CEO Leo Kotil, hope to scale the solution and improve industry awareness.
Everyone wants to deploy AI solutions, but everyone is scrambling for the data points that they need to evaluate these systems. Our big goal is to build a good foundation and use case portfolio to educate the industry.
🎥 Watch the video to get the full interview with Nikita Kaeshko.
Questions asked include:
- Which industry challenges do Overwatch AI hope to address?
- What success have you seen with early deployments?
- How are you looking to grow next?
Are you an emerging company looking to showcase your solution on the global stage? Apply to be a part of our Startup Village at Aerospace Tech Week 2026.
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