Pika Aero and DGM France Win 2026 IATA CBTA Center Innovation Award

Lima - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Pika Aero and DGM France were each recognized as winners of this year's IATA Competency-Based Training and Assessment Center (CBTA Center) Best Innovation Award.

The award, presented during the 4th IATA CBTA Center Conference held alongside the 2026 IATA World Cargo Symposium (WCS), recognized both companies' advances in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to provide real-world training solutions.

Pika Aero was recognized for its immersive CBTA-based dangerous goods training technology. Using AI, learners progress through short, focused lessons combined with realistic operational scenarios that evolve in real time, based on each individual's performance.

DGM France's AI-powered solution offers tailored training based on each learner's existing knowledge and experience. Post-training validation highlights an individual's progression through the training and provides structured feedback to identify any remaining training gaps.

Raising Training Standards

"As Pika Aero and DGM France have demonstrated, AI has become a vital enabler in providing realistic training environments that strengthen safety and enhance compliance. We are proud to count both companies among IATA's network of CBTA Centers and encourage others to follow their example in raising training standards across the industry," said Frederic Leger, IATA's Senior Vice President Products and Services.

"Even as a newly accredited CBTA Center, we are truly honored to receive the IATA CBTA Center Best Innovation Award. We owe it to our customers, who place their trust in us not only to provide the highest standards of training but also to push us to raise the bar in building a truly immersive training experience," said Baptiste Sesmat, Director General of Pika Aero.

"We approached Dangerous Goods training as a system-engineering challenge. When CBTA requirements were introduced, we did not adopt a traditional course model but built a new approach. Competence must be designed, measured, and continuously refined. Our AI-supported CBTA model introduces structured personalization within a regulated governance framework, ensuring that safety performance is not assumed but demonstrated," said Vytautas Volskis, President, DGM France.

Encouraging Innovation

Initiated in 2023, the IATA CBTA Center Best Innovation Awards encourage the development of training solutions that enhance operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

The selection process for the 2026 IATA CBTA Center Best Innovation Award involved an evaluation by an independent jury comprising industry experts, IATA representatives, and independent validators. Entries were judged on their innovation, potential impact on industry priorities and sustainability, user-friendliness, implementation feasibility, and evidence-based effectiveness.

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