11-08-2025
Exclusive: The 29 Aviation Startups in IAG's 2025 Accelerator Revealed
With AI now ubiquitous and early-stage sustainability startups multiplying, this year's cohort reflects both immediate and longer-term bets.
IAG is more than doubling the intake for its startup accelerator, selecting 29 companies for 2025. Now in its ninth year, the increasingly influential list has become an industry bellwether for where airline innovation is heading and what's worth backing.
This year, the airline group – which includes British Airways and Iberia – is placing its biggest bets on AI and climate tech. The startups are drawn from 11 countries and, for the first time, split into two streams.
New for 2025 is a 'Discover' track for early-stage startups, particularly those in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and energy transition tech. These 15 companies will participate in a six-month mentoring program to prepare them for possible future deployment.
It runs alongside the more commercially focused "Deploy" track, which offers 12-week proofs of concept directly with IAG operating companies.
The IAGi Accelerator is the group's flagship innovation program, fast-tracking collaboration with startups across six focus areas including AI, robotics, sustainability, and next-gen computing.
Speaking exclusively to Skift, Nisha Basson-Mugnier, IAG's innovation principal, explained the new dual strategy: 'We saw the opportunity to engage with early-stage deep-tech startups in a better way. We've worked with these types of companies before in our traditional format, but launched the Discover track to reflect how much activity and innovation we're now seeing – especially in the energy transition space.'
SAF is seen as the most scalable near-term solution to decarbonize long-haul flying – and regulators in both the EU and UK are beginning to mandate its use. That urgency is pushing airline groups like IAG to engage earlier
