International Airlines Group (IAG) – a Corporate Partner of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub – has announced a new commercial agreement between Aer Lingus and AISmartPlan, an advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-powered aircraft maintenance planning platform, following a successful collaboration through the IAGi Accelerator programme.

AISmartPlan joined IAG’s flagship accelerator in 2025, partnering with Aer Lingus to test its technology in a live airline environment. Its platform replaces manual maintenance production planning with an intelligent, automated system that pulls together key operational data – from flight schedules and aircraft availability to workforce constraints, to generate optimised plans.

By automatically matching the right engineers to the right aircraft at the right time, and offering intuitive, drag‑and‑drop visualisation tools, it enables teams to quickly understand, adapt and take ownership of maintenance plans. In just three months, the startup transformed its platform from proof of concept into a working solution and is now being rolled out in the airline’s maintenance production planning.

“The way maintenance tasks were allocated to our engineers was previously highly manual and time consuming, which limited how far ahead we could plan,” said Lucas De Almeida Ramos Faria, Maintenance Production Planning Manager, Aer Lingus. “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.”

During the Accelerator, Aer Lingus teams worked closely with AISmartPlan to refine the platform’s visual planning tools, automation logic and usability, resulting in a solution tailored specifically to aviation maintenance operations. Following the success of the trial, AISmartPlan has now signed a multi-year commercial agreement with Aer Lingus, with the potential to scale across other IAG airlines.

“Our goal has always been to fully automate maintenance planning and make complex plans instantly visible and actionable,” said Nicolas Grondin, Founder, AISmartPlan. “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 co-create the solution with us. Aer Lingus’ feedback directly shaped the product and proved its market fit in aviation.”

Anchored around fast-tracking collaboration between innovative startups and IAG’s airlines and operating companies, IAGi Accelerator, has partnered with more than 120 companies to rapidly test and validate their technologies in aviation operational environments. As the Accelerator enters its 10^th year, IAG continues to seek bold founders and innovative teams addressing high impact operational challenges across the sector. Innovation plays a central role in IAG’s transformation programme enabling the Group to maximise value and drive greater efficiencies. The Group continually seeks new ways to enhance the customer experience, strengthen operational efficiency and support long-term environmental sustainability.

Hear more from International Airlines Group at the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing events, taking place in Dublin on 9-11 June 2026. Keith Walters, Group Transformation Lead, International Airlines Group, is participating in the ‘FTE Data Sharing Think Tank Live: Breaking the data sharing deadlock: How airlines, airports and their partners can finally achieve meaningful data collaboration’.

Register for the co-located APEX FTE EMEA and APEX FTE Ancillary & Retailing events – free for airlines, low-cost for airports >>