xBridge Partner BioFlyte to Deploy Aerosol Detection Technology at PIT

Pittsburgh International Airport’s xBridge innovation program achieved another milestone this month when the airport entered into a five-year joint agreement with BioFlyte, an innovative biothreat security company, to promote its technology in aviation environments.

PIT was the first airport to deploy BioFlyte’s mass spectrometers, which were showcased at the inaugural World Innovation Summit (formerly known as the Aviation and Robotics Summit) in 2023. That was the year that the Albuquerque-based company joined xBridge, which fosters innovation in the aviation industry by providing a real-world environment for testing and launching new ideas.

“The Pittsburgh region is recognized globally as a technology innovation hub, and the airport is a major part of that,” said Travis McNichols, PIT’s Chief Operations Officer. “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.”

PIT and BioFlyte, an innovative biothreat security company, entered into a five-year joint agreement in July 2025 that will promote BioFlyte’s technology in aviation environments. (Photo by Beth Hollerich)

BioFlyte specializes in field-deployable aerosol mass spectrometers and related products designed to detect biological and chemical threats. One of its key products, the BioTOF z200, is the first dynamic threat monitoring solution that provides early warning detection, analysis, and confirmatory identification of both chemical and biological threats.

BioTOF z200 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 to 10 minutes, enabling first responders to quickly and confidently take action to reduce the impact on passenger health and business disruption.

“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, president and 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 reinforces PIT’s role as a hub for innovation, continuing to attract partnerships that support public safety, technology commercialization, and economic development.

The xBridge innovation center has collaborated with various companies, including Journey Robotics, Ecotone Renewables and Mapless AI. Previously tested products include autonomous floor-scrubbing robots, live algae air purification systems, AI-based camera systems for crowd density monitoring, and several collaborations with Carnegie Mellon University.