Airport operations technology startup Blunav has raised $1 million (around Rs 9.4 crore) in a seed funding round led by venture capital firm Piper Serica. The Chennai-based company will use the fresh funds to improve its technology, grow its team, and expand its services in India and global markets over the next two years.
Blunav was founded by Suseendar Marimuthu, an aeronautical engineer who previously worked with DRDO and the United Nations, along with telecom engineer Cherukuru Sridharan, who has more than 20 years of experience in airport IT systems.
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Blunav Wants to Modernise Airport Management
The startup is building a cloud-based Airport Operating System (AOS) that helps airports manage operations from one single platform. Instead of using multiple disconnected systems, airports can manage flight operations, gate allocation, passenger systems, airside activities, and commercial operations through Blunav’s software.
The platform also offers real-time tracking of aircraft and ground vehicles, safety alerts, and incident monitoring tools. The company aims to help Airport Operations Control Centres (AOCC) make quicker and more accurate decisions using live data. Blunav is mainly targeting small and mid-sized airports that often rely on manual systems because advanced aviation software is expensive.
Chennai Airport Pilot Delivered Positive Results
Blunav first tested its technology at Chennai International Airport under the Airports Authority of India’s Startup India programme. During a 20-day study covering more than 3,500 flights, the startup’s Airside Management software reduced runway occupancy time by 22%.
The software also improved the airport’s Rapid Exit Taxiway (RET Victor), reducing runway occupancy time from 59 seconds to 46 seconds. According to the company, this helped create an additional 147 minutes of runway capacity. After the successful pilot project, Chennai Airport officially integrated Blunav’s platform into its daily operations.
Fresh Capital to Support Expansion
The company plans to use the new funding to expand its workforce, improve product development, and increase deployments across airports in India and overseas.
Blunav’s growth plans also support India’s regional aviation expansion under government initiatives like UDAN and Atmanirbhar Bharat. The startup believes affordable and locally developed airport technology can help smaller airports improve efficiency and operations without depending on expensive foreign solutions.