For the fifth year, Airports Council International (ACI) World has put forward the Technology Innovation Awards to celebrate the increasingly important role new innovations in technology play for the global airport community.
These awards invite projects and leadership initiatives that enhance the passenger experience, improve operational efficiency, and optimize airport processes for passengers, employees, and aviation stakeholders.
The winners of the 2025 Technology Innovation Awards were announced during the Awards Ceremony at the ACI Airports Innovate event, which took place from 25-27 November 2025 in Busan, Republic of Korea.
Winners of 2025 Technology Innovation Awards
Best Innovation in Airport Passenger Related Processes
Kempegowda International Airport
(operated by Bangalore International Airport Limited)
The Future Checked In: Biometric-enabled Self Baggage Drop
Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) became the first airport in India to implement a truly end-to-end biometric passenger journey with the launch of the Biometric-enabled Self Bag Drop (SBD) initiative.
Integrated with DigiYatra, this innovation eliminates the need for passengers to present physical ID or boarding passes at any checkpoint—from entry to boarding. The final gap at check-in was addressed through a seamless, paperless, and fully automated baggage drop process powered by facial recognition, identity management, and access control technology. Passengers simply look into a camera, and the system validates identity, retrieves flight data, and completes baggage check-in in under 60 seconds.
Best Innovation in Airport Operations and Installations Management
Queen Alia International Airport
QAIA Smart Cleaning System: Redefining Facility Management Through Innovation
The Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) launched the Smart Cleaning System (SCS), a real-time, AI-powered platform to deliver faster, smarter, and more responsive service.
Rather than cleaning on fixed schedules and following traditional reactive approaches, QAIA harnessed AI to proactively plan their cleaning operations. The heart of this system is their Cleaning Control Center (CCC), now operating 24/7 from inside the Operations Control Center (OCC). This move brings their cleaning team closer to airport operations and maintenance.
The SCS integrates Airport Systems—including flight schedules, passenger flow, IoT sensors and passenger feedback along with, mobile tools and robotic support—into centralized dashboards, ensuring full visibility of cleaning activity and enabling proactive staffing and machine planning, scheduling, and task assignment.
Best Airport Innovation Leader
Pablo Lopez Loeches
Aena
Pablo Lopez Loeches has reshaped the airport innovation landscape through strategic leadership at Aena. He led the planning and execution of the Innovation and Digital Transformation Strategic Plan, outlining the roadmap for the company in terms of innovation, including the technologies to be incorporated and Aena's investment commitment to innovation. He has also designed and managed Aena’s Open Innovation and Intrapreneurship initiatives, key tools for Aena’s innovative development and for promoting a culture of innovation. The development and consolidation of this innovation strategy have had a clear impact on Aena and the airport sector.
Under Pablo’s leadership, more than 100 innovative projects have been carried out, having a clear impact across various areas of the organization including customer experience, airport efficiency and sustainability.
Pablo began his career at Aena in 2016, after working at Airbus. He started as Innovation and Customer Experience Project Manager. In 2021 he was promoted to Head of the Technological Surveillance Department, and in 2023, his career was consolidated in the leadership position he currently holds: Head of the Ideation and Entrepreneurship Division.
Best Innovation: Airport on the Rise
Roland Garros Airport
Bioclimatic Airport Building
Roland Garros Airport developed the world’s first large-scale bioclimatic terminal in a tropical environment.
Designed to withstand increasingly intense weather on Réunion Island, it follows the PREBAT-Réunion method (ADEME), aiming for optimal user comfort with minimal energy use. This terminal embodies the airport company’s broader decarbonization strategy and environmental commitment.
The winning design by AIA Life Designers meets ambitious sustainability goals by harnessing prevailing winds to naturally cool the building, reducing the need for air conditioning. It minimizes solar heat gain while maximizing natural light, ensures thermal comfort through passive design and airflow, incorporates landscaped cool zones to enhance the microclimate, and manages rainwater in ways that also support local biodiversity.
We thank all airports for their outstanding submissions!
2025 Technology Innovation Awards Admissibility and Categories
Submissions for the 2025 Technology Innovation Awards were open until 16 June 2025 at 11:59 PM ET.
Admissibility
The contest is open to all ACI airport members, and we encourage airports of all sizes to participate.
Categories
The ACI World Technology Innovation Awards are comprised of four categories for all ACI member airports. The innovation must have been implemented between January 2024 and May 2025 to qualify. Each airport can submit only one entry per category, and the same entry cannot be proposed for more than one category — no exceptions. There are no fees to participate.
Evaluation Committee of Experts
A committee composed of independent industry experts, with a strong knowledge and interest in technology, innovation and industry transformation have been selected. There will be no current airport employees or industry suppliers.
For questions about the 2025 ACI World Technology Innovation Awards, please contact airportit@aci.aero.
