At the 42nd General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) held in Canada, university students from Türkiye won first place in the International Innovation Competition.
ICAO, a United Nations body headquartered in Montreal with 193 member states, sets global standards for aviation safety. The annual Innovation Competition encourages the development of innovative ideas that enhance aviation safety. This year, finalists selected from hundreds of applications worldwide presented their projects in Montreal.
Decision support in aircraft emergencies
The winning project provides AI-powered decision support to air traffic controllers during potential in-flight emergencies.
Key features of the system include:
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Selecting the most suitable airport: Automatically determines the best airport by analyzing parameters such as aircraft type, distance, and weather conditions.
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Suggesting alternative landing sites: Identifies the safest landing areas using satellite data when a suitable airport is unavailable.
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Reducing risks: Produces solutions within seconds during crises to ensure passenger safety and operational continuity.
In addition to aviation safety, the AI-based solution can also be applied to disaster management and crisis scenarios.
On September 21–22, at the Innovation Fair 2025 in Canada, the Yeditepe University team presented their project to an international jury, receiving the highest score for both technical innovation and societal impact.
Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Enver İskurt and Director General of Civil Aviation Kemal Yüksek personally congratulated the students at the ceremony in Montreal.
Project team members:
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Umutcan Sürücü: Team Leader, Yeditepe University Faculty of Law graduate, MBA student
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Nisa İpek Umur: Double major graduate in Political Science & International Relations and Law, Yeditepe University
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Yiğit Şen: Senior student, double major in Computer Engineering and Industrial Engineering, Yeditepe University
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Mehmet Mert Tezcan: Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
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Mehmet Nurettin Geçkil: Politecnico di Milano
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Academic Advisor: Prof. Dr. Oğuz Bayat, Vice-Rector of Yeditepe University
‘A source of pride for Türkiye’
Prof. Dr. Oğuz Bayat emphasized that this victory demonstrates Türkiye’s ability to produce strong solutions on the global stage, saying:
“This award is not only a great honor for our university but also a significant source of pride for our country.”