Air Hack Iași

Air Hack Iași Brought Together 17 Teams for 48 Hours of Innovation at Iași Airport

Air Hack Iași, the hackathon organized by Fab Lab Iași in partnership with Iași Airport and Orange Romania, brought together 17 teams consisting of developers, designers, entrepreneurs, students, and industry experts who worked 48 hours non-stop, addressing real-world challenges in the aviation industry.

The hackathon focused on three major innovation tracks: Defence & Security, Infrastructure & Operations, and UX / Passenger Experience.

Evaluation: Mentors and Jury

A key role in the success of Air Hack Iași was played by the mentors and jury members – professionals from fields such as technology, telecommunications, cybersecurity, software development, entrepreneurship, product design, and airport operations.

The 2026’s edition brought together a diverse group of mentors from Orange Romania, Endava, FreeYaMind Campus, Nouveaux/VORBAVINE.AI, GlidePath, Crypto Sentinel, Creativ IQ, TAGonSoft, the Romanian Police, Aumovio Iași, Fondatori din Viitor, Colourful Coding, and others.

Winners

    Defence & Security

    Spectrum Hive with Geo Defensing – Airspace Protection

    An airspace protection system for Iași Airport against unauthorized drones, featuring three layers of detection: RF Sensing, AI-powered video classification for drones, birds, and aircraft in real time, and acoustic sensing using a directional microphone and Jetson embedded AI.
    *The team aslo received the Orange Special Award.

    Infrastructure & Operations

    FOGORA with the mobile application Fog Copilot

    A mobile application that proactively notifies passengers about the risk of flight delays or cancellations caused by fog, hours before disruptions occur.

    UX / Passenger Experience

    FII XR with the mobile application Iași Airport AR Guide

    An indoor navigation mobile application using Augmented Reality for Iași Airport.

As a strategic partner of Air Hack Iași, Orange Romania supported the initiative through the involvement of its experts in the mentoring program and by offering the Orange Special Award.
“We will continue to support innovation initiatives that foster collaboration between startups, universities, companies, and public institutions. These environments provide participants with access to mentorship, expertise, and early validation, helping build a stronger and more connected innovation ecosystem.” - Ana Ciobanu, Startup Programs Manager, Orange Romania

About Fab Lab Iași

Fab Lab Iași is part of the international Fab Lab network and serves as an independent platform for innovation and collaboration, connecting the technology, education, entrepreneurship, and creative industries communities. Through its coworking spaces, events, and projects, Fab Lab Iași supports initiatives that contribute to the development of the regional innovation ecosystem and the growth of entrepreneurial spirit throughout the Moldova region of Romania.