oneworld Innovation Summit showcases airlines and innovators powering the future of flight

LISBON, 9 October 2025 - oneworld hosted its first-ever Innovation Summit on Monday as a precursor to the World Aviation Festival in Lisbon. The event connected digital, customer experience and sustainability leaders from across the alliance with innovators, industry partners, start-ups and scale-ups for a deep dive into new technologies that are being both successfully deployed and considered for future implementation.

"oneworld members are exploring, investing in and deploying innovation that is reshaping aviation, and they are collectively doing so at a rate that leads the industry," said Nat Pieper, chief executive officer of oneworld. "There's a wealth of expertise across our alliance, which makes us uniquely positioned to bring all parties together to share best practices and spark new ideas to help solve common challenges at scale."

"Innovation is bigger than one company; if you want to create epic outcomes you need to first connect and then collaborate," said Michael Augello, CEO of Airbus UpNext, who shared the mission and strategy of UpNext with attendees. "It all starts with open listening and that's what I have appreciated from my day with the oneworld community. Creating a space to ideate together is a great beginning, I look forward to seeing where it takes us."

"By combining oneworld's global aviation expertise with Breakthrough Energy Ventures' deep technical and investment capabilities, we are getting closer to enabling the technologies that can help deliver cost-effective sustainable aviation fuel," said Max Sabbe, Principal, Breakthrough Energy Ventures."oneworld is leading the way in demonstrating just how important collaboration is between carriers to finding long-term solutions."

The oneworld Innovation Summit featured a dynamic mix of panel discussions, presentations and dedicated networking sessions, creating an environment for the audience to build connections and explore the future of aviation technology.

Collaborating to net zero

oneworld was the first alliance to commit to net zero by 2050, and its members are committed to tackling the environmental impact of air travel through a number of initiatives.

Regular collaboration between sustainability experts across the alliance led to the recently launched $150 million fund between oneworld and Breakthrough Energy Ventures designed to accelerate and scale new technology for the development and commercialisation of SAF.

In addition to panel discussions, the oneworld Innovation Summit featured presentations from leaders in the field of aviation innovation including:

JetZero: CEO Tom O'Leary outlined next steps in revolutionising commercial air travel, through ground-breaking, highly-efficient aircraft design.

UP.Labs Ventures: CEO Vicki Nakata shared her insights into how collaboration unlocks solutions, driving broader innovation across the aviation ecosystem.

Volantio: CEO Azim Barodawala showcased the company's award-winning, advanced AI which delivers a better passenger experience during irregular operations and is used by oneworld members including Alaska Airlines, Japan Airlines and Qantas.

Loft Dynamics: CEO Fabi Riesen founded what is now the only company to have received FAA and EU Air Safety approval for its innovative virtual reality flight simulators.

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About oneworld

oneworld is a global airline alliance bringing together 15 of the world's leading airlines, who are committed to delivering the highest level of service and convenience to travellers. With a strong focus on innovative solutions, oneworld member airlines are working collectively to address their environmental impact and accelerate the adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel. The alliance's members serve nearly 1,000 destinations worldwide and include: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian and SriLankan Airlines.

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