Pittsburgh International Airport and BioFlyte Announce 5-Year Joint Marketing Agreement

Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and BioFlyte, a leading edge chem/bioaerosol surveillance firm, are proud to announce a five-year joint agreement to promote the operational deployment of BioFlyte’s BioTOF® z200 mass spectrometer-based identifiers in aviation environments for enhanced critical infrastructure protection. 

BioFlyte’s BioTOF® z200 is the first dynamic threat monitoring solution that is capable of early warning detection, analysis, and confirmatory identification across both the chemical and biological threat landscape. BioTOF has been proven to detect and identify all classes of particulate threats, including bacteria, viruses, biotoxins like anthrax and ricin, and pharmaceutical-based agents like fentanyl. Testing, from collection to identification, is typically completed within 5-10 minutes, enabling first responders and security personnel to quickly and confidently take necessary actions to reduce impact on both passenger health and business disruption. 

In emergency scenarios the two most important assets are time and information: how quickly can public safety personnel respond, and do they have enough information to make informed decisions. BioFlyte’s initial airport installation occurred in September 2023 at PIT as part of the airport’s xBridge innovation center, which allows emerging technologies to test advancements in real-world settings. This deployment marked a major step in validating the technology was ready for use in operational settings such as airports.  

“The Pittsburgh region is recognized globally as a technology innovation hub and the airport is a major part of that,” said Travis McNichols, Chief Operations Officer at Pittsburgh International Airport. “This agreement underscores PIT’s commitment to staying at the forefront of aviation security and innovation. BioFlyte’s success is a clear example of how xBridge helps turn promising innovation into real-world solutions.” 

“The strong demand we are experiencing in the airport segment is largely a result of the early work we conducted with xBridge, where we validated our technology’s reliability, performance, and total cost of ownership,” said Todd Sickles, CEO of BioFlyte. “We look forward to the next phase of our partnership where PIT’s technology leadership and operational familiarity with our solution will accelerate our market penetration and help us to provide other airports with enhanced biological and chemical threat detection capabilities.”  

As part of the joint agreement, PIT will host industry demonstrations, support joint public awareness campaigns and serve as a formal customer reference. The agreement also reinforces PIT’s role as a hub for innovation, continuing to attract partnerships that support public safety, technology commercialization, and economic development in the Pittsburgh region. 

The partnership between PIT and BioFlyte is the latest success of the airport’s xBridge innovation center. Previously tested products that are now implemented at airports and businesses across the globe include autonomous floor-scrubbing robots; AI-based camera systems for crowd density monitoring, aiding both safety and operational flow; and several collaborations with Carnegie Mellon University including computer vision tools for luggage tracking and predictive maintenance for airport infrastructure. 

xBridge partners have also tested teleoperated vehicles, autonomous concession delivery vehicles, and live algae air purification systems among dozens of projects. 

About Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) 

PIT serves approximately 10 million passengers annually. Its new terminal, scheduled to open in 2025, will transform the passenger experience and showcase the region’s thriving economy as its new front door. PIT has recently won numerous international awards including being named by Fast Company magazine as One of the Most Innovative Companies in the World as well as a finalist in Accessible Design. Future Travel Experience named PIT a winner in its Pioneer innovation awards, and PIT’s first-of-its-kind microgrid has garnered numerous accolades for resiliency and sustainability. For more information visitwww.flypittsburgh.com. 

About PIT’s xBridge innovation center 

xBridge is a technology testing program at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). It is designed to help startups and companies test and develop new technologies within the airport environment. xBridge aims to foster innovation in the aviation industry and beyond by providing a real-world setting for testing and launching new ideas. xBridge has collaborated with various companies, including Honeywell, Carnegie Robotics, RE2, Zensors, Ottonomy, BioFlyte and others. 

About BioFlyte 

BioFlyte is a chem/bioaerosol surveillance company that is commercializing a revolutionary new class of fieldable chemical and biological contamination sampling, detection, and identification solutions. The firm’s current market focus is critical infrastructure protection and mail screening in both the government and commercial sectors. For more information about BioFlyte and its products, please visit: https://bioflyte.com.