On 20 May 2026, aviation technology startup Overwatch AI announced a $1.5 million pre-seed funding round to accelerate the development and deployment of Wingman, its artificial intelligence decision-support platform for airline operations.
The investment included participation from United Airlines Ventures, Pegasus Airlines Innovation Lab, Baobab Ventures, Masia and other investors.
Bringing AI Into Airline Operations
Wingman is designed to help pilots, dispatchers, operations control centre (OCC) personnel and other airline teams retrieve operational information through natural-language questions.
Airline personnel frequently consult multiple systems containing flight plans, weather information, NOTAMs, operational manuals and regulatory requirements.
Overwatch AI aims to reduce this fragmentation by connecting operational documentation and live data through a single AI-powered interface.
Rather than manually searching different applications, users can ask operational questions and receive responses linked to supporting source information.
From Development to Airline Deployment
Overwatch AI reports that Wingman is already being used in live airline operations, with its airline customers collectively operating more than 30,000 flights per month.
Pegasus Airlines was among the first operators to deploy Wingman and subsequently joined the funding round as an investor.
According to Overwatch AI, operational deployments of Wingman have delivered efficiency improvements, with the company reporting annual savings of up to $4 million per airline, approximately 150 working hours saved annually per team member and a 4.6-fold improvement in compliant decision-making.
These performance figures are company-reported and have not been independently verified by FLT OPS WORLD.
Developing Aviation-Specific AI
A central feature of Wingman is its emphasis on providing responses grounded in airline documentation and operational data.
This approach is intended to help users verify AI-generated answers against underlying source information rather than relying on unsupported responses.
The company is also developing additional integrations and expanding the operational use cases supported by the platform.
The investment will support engineering, product development, aviation expertise and deployments with additional airlines.
Why This Matters for Flight Operations
The development highlights a shift towards AI-assisted operational decision-making within airline environments.
For pilots and OCC teams, the potential benefit is faster access to relevant information during time-sensitive situations, reducing the need to search multiple operational systems.
However, AI-generated responses must remain subject to appropriate verification, operator procedures and human oversight.
Wingman represents an emerging approach to connecting operational knowledge with frontline decision-making rather than replacing the responsibilities of flight crews or operational control personnel.
