AviAthon 2025 Project Competition Successfully Held at Istanbul Airport in Cooperation with Özyeğin University and İGA

Held on April 16 and 17, 2025, at Istanbul Airport (IGA), the AviAthon 2025 Project Competition brought together students from the Aviation Management program at Özyeğin University to generate innovative marketing solutions for real-life challenges in airport operations. The competition was organized in collaboration with the IGA Academy and the Digital Marketing Department and with Instructor Dr. Sena Kılıç, under the leadership of Assistant Prof. Hatice Küçükönal.

Throughout the two-day event, student teams worked intensively to develop creative ideas to enhance passenger experience and digital engagement. The final presentations were evaluated by a distinguished jury consisting of IGA Istanbul Airport executives and Özyeğin University faculty members, including Chief Commercial Officer Server Aydın, Director of Non-Aviation Commerce Halil Anasoy, Head of People, Culture & Academy Dr. Tunç Cavcav, and Dr. Hatice Küçükönal.

Among the impressive projects presented, the team behind the “PİGA Assistant” concept was awarded first place. Their proposal featured a smart digital assistant designed to guide passengers throughout their airport journey while incorporating gamification elements to enrich the travel experience. The winning project team is composed of Gizem Bayrak, Melike Arıcı, Resulcan Kayar, Elif Özkan, and Emir Kutlu, undergraduate students from the Aviation Management Program at Özyeğin University.

AviAthon 2025 offered participants a valuable opportunity to connect with industry professionals, practice interdisciplinary teamwork, and apply classroom knowledge to practical challenges in the aviation sector.