Dominican AI Aviation Tool SARA Wins Most Disruptive Award at Women in Tech LATAM Awards 2026
Why It MattersRecognition for an aviation-focused AI assistant highlights growing interest in tools that help air traffic controllers, pilots and dispatchers manage aeronautical data more efficiently.
A Dominican artificial intelligence tool designed for aviation, SARA (System for Aviation With Real-time AI), has won the Most Disruptive Award at the Women in Tech LATAM Awards 2026, earning the right to represent Latin America at the global ceremony later this year in Paris. The award was presented on August 27 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, where creator Olga Isabel Pérez Encarnación was among five Latin American finalists in the category.
SARA was developed in collaboration with Nolim Studios as an AI assistant for aviation professionals, including air traffic controllers, pilots and flight dispatchers, designed to deliver aeronautical information quickly, allow users to trace that information, and reduce the cognitive burden of processing large volumes of aeronautical data. The tool is currently being evaluated by aviation professionals and students in six countries and underpins an international scientific research proposal on artificial intelligence in aviation. Its name honors Sara Castaños, the Dominican Republic's first female air traffic controller.
Following the Cartagena recognition, the development team is working on a new version of SARA planned to launch first in the Dominican Republic and the United States, alongside plans for AI training workshops for aviation professionals. SARA previously won the first phase of the ENAIRE Open Innovation International Business Ideas Competition in 2025, organized by Spain's national air navigation manager, competing against more than 70 proposals worldwide, while Pérez Encarnación's broader Quiero Ser Piloto initiative was named runner-up at the Air Traffic Management Awards 2024 in Lisbon.
The Women in Tech LATAM Awards are organized by Women in Tech Global, founded by Ayumi Moore Aoki to promote women's and girls' participation in technology and STEAM fields. During the Cartagena event, Pérez Encarnación took part in a social-impact activity at the Cecilia Porras School, where aviation and technology educational materials were donated, including a prototype air traffic control board game, a coloring book on aerodrome movement areas and flight instruments, and a flight-simulation joystick.
