Hackathon to foster aerospace innovation and creative thinking

Photo Caption: (2nd from left) Director of Industrial Relations Division, Department of Higher Education, The Ministry of Education Prof. Ts. Dr. Arham bin Abdullah; Economic Counsellor at Embassy of France in Malaysia Mr. Emmanuel Ly-Battalan; Provost and CEO of University of Nottingham Malaysia. Pro-Vice Chancellor of University of Nottingham Prof. Graham Kendal; AirAsia Deputy Group CEO (Technology & Digital) Aireen Omar; Deputy Director General of Higher Education, Department of Higher Education, The Ministry of Education Dr. Mohd Nor Azman bin Hassan; Head of National Aerospace Industry Coordinating Office (NAICO), Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI) Prof. Ts. Shamsul Kamar Abu Samah; AirAsia Group Head of Engineering Mr. Nadzri Hashim; and Chief Executive Officer Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre (AMIC) Dr. Liew Kan-Ern at the launch of Aviatar 2019 today at University of Nottingham Malaysia.

SEPANG, 1 March 2019 – AirAsia and the Ministry of Education today announced a new hackathon competition designed to foster aerospace innovation and creative thinking.

The three-day Aviatar 2019 hackathon, in partnership with the University of Nottingham Malaysia, will bring together more than 300 college and university students to explore and unlock digital-centric thinking around the future of aviation.

In teams of up to five, the students will be required to present working proofs of concept to a panel of technology and aviation industry experts, with the top five teams going on to compete at the Aviatar 2019 Grand Finale at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA).

The winning grand finale team will pick up an all-expenses paid trip to France, where they will visit a number of aerospace companies, while the first and second runners-up will also win a trip to visit aerospace companies based in Japan and Malaysia, respectively.

AirAsia Deputy Group CEO (Technology and Digital) Aireen Omar said, “We are proud to provide young talent studying in Malaysia with the opportunity to be part of our digital journey. Our industry relies on great people and great ideas, especially as AirAsia continues to evolve into an all-encompassing travel technology company, and we look forward to discovering and unlocking this potential at Aviatar 2019.”

Deputy Director General of Higher Education Dr Mohd Nor Azman Hassan said, “We are pleased to co-organise this event with AirAsia. The aviation and aerospace industry is transforming with Industry 4.0 in mind and we believe the competition will provide students with first-hand information, industry trends and insights.

“This hackathon is also an opportunity for our young talents to explore the plethoric opportunities of advancing the technologies that surround the aviation and aerospace industry, pushing it into the new realms of artificial intelligence, big data analytics and the Internet of Things. I wish them the best of luck for the competition.”

Aviatar 2019 is co-organised by AirAsia, Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre (AMIC), and French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS), in collaboration with University of Nottingham Malaysia, Invest Selangor, Jabatan Pendidikan Tinggi (JPT), and National Aerospace Industry Coordinating Office (NAICO).