Airport operations technology startup Blunav has raised $1 million in seed funding from Piper Serica to expand its airport technology platform across India and global markets.
Founded by Suseendar Marimuthu and Cherukuru Sridharan, the company is building a full-stack, cloud-based Airport Operating System that brings together flight operations, gate and bay allocation, passenger systems, and commercial airport activities on a single connected platform.
Blunav said its platform is designed for airports of all sizes, ranging from regional airports to large multi-airport networks. The system aims to replace disconnected vendor systems and manual operational processes with a unified real-time data layer that improves coordination and operational efficiency.
The Chennai-based startup has already seen early traction through its deployment at Chennai International Airport under the Airports Authority of India Startup India initiative.
According to the company, a 20-day study conducted after deployment showed that Blunav’s Airside Management software helped reduce runway occupancy time by 22% across more than 3,500 flights. The deployment also validated the impact of Chennai Airport’s newly commissioned Rapid Exit Taxiway (RET Victor), where runway occupancy time dropped from 59 seconds to 46 seconds, resulting in an additional 147 minutes of runway capacity during the study period.
Beyond the initial assessment, Blunav has now become part of Chennai Airport’s daily airside operations by enabling real-time visibility into aircraft and ground vehicle movement, automated tracking of operational metrics, and data-driven decision-making.
The company said its platform also improves safety monitoring through real-time alerts and supports detailed incident analysis with replay capabilities. These features are expected to strengthen Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) systems and support long-term digital transformation efforts.
Suseendar Marimuthu, Co-founder and CEO of Blunav, said the company is focused on building a unified Airport Operating System that can simplify and modernise airport operations globally.
“There is a large segment of airports that has historically been underserved by existing technology solutions. Our focus is to provide scalable and accessible systems while maintaining global standards of safety and performance,” he said.
Blunav’s founding team brings deep sector expertise to the business. Marimuthu is an aeronautical engineer with experience at Defence Research and Development Organisation and the United Nations, while Sridharan has over two decades of experience in airport networks and IT systems.
The startup said it is addressing a major challenge within the aviation ecosystem where airports continue to operate through fragmented systems and siloed operational data. This issue affects airports across categories, from smaller regional hubs dependent on manual processes to large airports managing multiple terminals through disconnected systems.
Blunav’s modular Airport Operating System has been designed to solve this problem by integrating operational systems into one platform, allowing airports to adopt digital capabilities based on their scale and operational requirements.
The company’s approach also aligns with India’s efforts to strengthen regional aviation infrastructure under the UDAN scheme and the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. By offering a domestically developed technology platform, Blunav aims to support cost-effective digital transformation across airports.
Commenting on the investment, S. Christopher said smaller airports have historically lacked access to advanced software infrastructure due to high costs, and added that Blunav’s platform has the potential to democratise operational excellence across the aviation industry.
The newly raised capital will be used for team expansion, product development, and scaling deployments across India and international markets over the next 12 to 24 months.
-By Shivani Solanki
