Operation Air
OperationAIR is a non-profit TU Delft student initiative that developed the AIRone, a pressure-controlled emergency ventilator for COVID-19 patients, producing 80 units for the Dutch Ministry of Health and releasing the design open source.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersDelft, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Operation Air does
OperationAIR is a non-profit student initiative founded in March 2020 at TU Delft in Delft, Netherlands, comprising approximately 50 master's students drawn from Technical Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial Design, Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering programmes and supervised by Prof. dr. ir. Jaap Harlaar. The team developed the AIRone, a pressure-controlled emergency ventilator with a touchscreen graphical user interface that exposes adjustable PEEP, I/E ratio, peak pressure, FiO2 and respiratory rate parameters and displays real-time pressure and flow curves for clinical assessment. The device includes a tidal-volume alarm, a redesigned exhalation valve for higher expiratory airflow, and was validated for 12-hour continuous operation alongside official drop-test and electrical/mechanical safety testing at partner hospitals.
The business model is explicitly charitable rather than commercial. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) commissioned production of 80 AIRone units in April 2020 as a national buffer against a potential second COVID-19 wave, after an original ambition of 500 units was scaled down as Dutch hospitalisations declined. The design, documentation and software were released openly via the OSF platform, and the team supported international replication efforts in Colombia, Indonesia, South Africa, Hungary and India through knowledge sharing rather than licensing or sales. There is no commercial pricing model, no recurring revenue stream, and the initiative is funded through sponsorships from the TU Response Fund, Shell, Deloitte and a broader corporate ecosystem (DEMCON, TNO, Bronkhorst, NautaDutilh, Technolution and others) rather than equity investment.
OperationAIR sits inside the 'Air for All' umbrella initiative at TU Delft, which also encompasses sister projects BTB-Breathe (a minimal-part ventilator) and Project Inspiration (a mechanical-analog device for low-resource settings). Following completion of the 80-unit production run, the project was formally wound down in June 2020 as students returned to their studies, and the team issued a public call for an international partner to continue the work. LUMC and Erasmus Medical Center served as clinical validation partners throughout, performing user testing, electrical safety testing and ICU usability assessments.
Operation Air firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Operation Air
- Legal name
- OperationAIR
- Website
- https://operationair.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- OperationAIR is a non-profit TU Delft student initiative that developed the AIRone, a pressure-controlled emergency ventilator for COVID-19 patients, producing 80 units for the Dutch Ministry of Health and releasing the design open source.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Operation Air is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Delft
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Operation Air business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Government Procurement: Non-profit initiative producing 80 emergency ventilators commissioned by Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). No commercial revenue model - this was a charitable academic initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Open Source Design Sharing: Design and documentation freely available for international use. No revenue generated from international sharing - the goal was humanitarian support during pandemic.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Operation Air product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OperationAIR developed the AIRone, a pressure-controlled emergency ventilator designed for COVID-19 patients with respiratory insufficiency, providing positive-pressure ventilation with adjustable PEEP, I/E ratio, peak pressure, FiO2, and breathing frequency. The device was produced as 80 units for the Dutch Ministry of Health and the design was released open source for international humanitarian use under the 'Air for All' umbrella initiative.
Product overview
OperationAIR is a non-profit student initiative from TU Delft that developed the AIRone emergency ventilator. The AIRone is a pressure-controlled ventilator designed for adult COVID-19 patients requiring respiratory support. It features adjustable parameters (respiratory rate, I/E ratio, inspiratory pressure, PEEP, FiO2) and displays real-time pressure and flow curves via touchscreen. The design and documentation have been made open source. The initiative is part of the 'Air for All' umbrella project alongside BTB-Breathe (minimal-part ventilator) and Project Inspiration (mechanical analog device for low-resource settings).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AIRone: Emergency ventilator device developed by OperationAIR for COVID-19 patients with respiratory insufficiency. A pressure-controlled ventilator with adjustable PEEP, I:E ratio, peak pressure, oxygen concentration, and breathing frequency settings.
Products and services
- AIRone Emergency Ventilator A pressure-controlled emergency ventilator developed for adult COVID-19 patients experiencing respiratory insufficiency. The device provides positive-pressure ventilation with adjustable PEEP, I:E ratio, peak pressure, oxygen concentration (FiO2), and breathing frequency, controlled via touchscreen GUI that displays pressure and flow curves. 80 units were produced for the Dutch Ministry of Health as national buffer stock, and the design was made openly available.
- Air for All Umbrella Initiative An umbrella initiative of TU Delft consisting of three projects (OperationAIR, BTB-Breathe, and Project Inspiration) each developing different types of ventilators to address the global shortage of breathing support equipment across various settings, from Dutch hospital infrastructure to low-resource environments.
- Open Source AIRone Documentation Complete design files, technical specifications, and documentation for the AIRone ventilator released on the Open Science Framework (OSF) platform, enabling international healthcare initiatives to locally produce, adapt, and implement the device for emergency response.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80 units produced as national buffer stock for Netherlands
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Operation Air
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Operation Air technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Operation Air partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
27 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, supporting and minor.
- DeloittemajorSupply chain consulting support. Deloitte helped create an efficient supply chain for ventilator production and assembly.
- Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS)corePrimary government customer commissioning 80 emergency ventilators as national buffer stock. Approved production and provided regulatory guidance.
- Technical University Delft (TU Delft)coreParent academic institution. Student team from TU Delft's Technical Medicine program, supervised by prof. dr. ir. Jaap Harlaar. Provided facilities, expertise, and institutional support for the project.
- Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)coreMedical expertise partner. Specialists from LUMC helped set up design requirements for ventilator specifications and performed user testing of prototypes.
- Erasmus Medical CentercoreMedical expertise partner. Specialists from Erasmus MC collaborated on design requirements and conducted electrical safety tests and user-friendliness tests with ICU staff.
- BTB-Breathe (Air for All)coreSister project under 'Air for All' umbrella developing ventilator with minimum parts, usable within and outside Dutch hospital infrastructure.
- Project Inspiration (Air for All)coreSister project under 'Air for All' umbrella developing mechanical-analog ventilator suitable for use outside hospital settings or in low-income countries.
- DEMCONsupportingTechnical expertise partner that provided guidance on ventilator design and production during early development phase.
- Applied BiosignalssupportingTechnology partner providing components or technical expertise for ventilator development.
- BronkhorstsupportingTechnology partner providing flow measurement components for ventilator system.
- TNOsupportingResearch organization partner providing technical expertise and resources.
- TechnolutionsupportingTechnology partner contributing to project development.
- VP InstrumentssupportingTechnology partner providing instrumentation components.
- NautaDutilhsupportingLegal services partner providing regulatory and legal guidance.
- Matrix RequirementssupportingRequirements management platform partner.
- MTB 3Dsupporting3D printing/manufacturing partner for prototype and component production.
- LeeringsupportingTechnical partner providing manufacturing expertise.
- Pressure Control SolutionssupportingComponent supplier for pressure control systems.
- PulmotechsupportingRespiratory/medical technology partner.
- IDE GroepsupportingIndustrial design partner providing product design expertise.
- InteraysupportingTechnical partner for project.
- Jonker Makis RoboticssupportingRobotics expertise partner.
- LarGe SolutionssupportingTechnical solutions partner.
- NiVoGe GroepsupportingTechnical partner.
- TelerexsupportingTechnology partner.
- Diks AutoverhuurminorVehicle rental partner providing transportation support for team logistics.
- Nederlandse SpoorwegenminorDutch railway providing transportation support for team members.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Operation Air competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ResMed: Global respiratory care company primarily known for sleep-disordered breathing and non-invasive ventilation devices (CPAP, BiPAP, Stellar, Astral). Comparable as an established respiratory device manufacturer that overlaps with the ventilator and respiratory support category.
- Medtronic: Major medical device manufacturer that publicly shared PB560 ventilator design specifications during the COVID-19 pandemic to support surge manufacturing efforts. Comparable as an established ventilator incumbent with pandemic-related open-specification activity.
- Hamilton Medical: Swiss specialist manufacturer of high-end ICU ventilators (Hamilton-G5, C6, C3) widely used in European ICUs. Comparable as a focused ventilator manufacturer whose products represent the standard-of-care device that emergency ventilators like AIRone are designed to supplement during shortages.
- Ambu: Danish medical device company with a portfolio spanning single-use endoscopy, patient monitoring, and emergency ventilation/resuscitation devices (including the Ambu Spur II resuscitator). Comparable as a broader respiratory and emergency care device manufacturer in an adjacent category to the AIRone ventilator.
- Drägerwerk: German medical and safety technology company with a long-standing portfolio of ICU and transport ventilators (Oxylog, Evita, Savina). Comparable as an incumbent ventilator specialist competing in the same ICU and emergency ventilation category.
- GE HealthCare: Large medical technology company offering a portfolio of ICU ventilators (CARESCAPE R860, Engström) and broader patient monitoring. Comparable as an incumbent ventilator supplier in the same hospital ICU segment targeted by OperationAIR's device.
- Philips (Philips Respironics): Global medical device incumbent with a substantial hospital ventilator portfolio (Trilogy, V60, V680) alongside a broad respiratory and patient monitoring franchise. Comparable as the dominant established player in the ICU and emergency ventilation market that OperationAIR's AIRone was designed to back up.
Direct peers
- MIT E-Vent (MIT Emergency Ventilator): Massachusetts Institute of Technology student-led emergency ventilator project from the COVID-19 pandemic, developed to address ICU ventilator shortages with a rapidly producible, open-source design. Directly comparable as a university-driven emergency ventilator response effort targeting the same pandemic-induced shortage.
- BTB-Breathe: Sister project under the same 'Air for All' umbrella at TU Delft, developing a minimum-part ventilator usable within and outside Dutch hospital infrastructure. Direct comparable as a student-team ventilator project sharing the same parent institution, governance, and pandemic-response mission.
- Project Inspiration: Third project under the 'Air for All' TU Delft umbrella, developing a mechanical-analog ventilator suitable for use outside hospital settings or in low-income countries. Directly comparable emergency ventilator initiative with shared mission, academic backing, and open-source approach.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Customer concentration
Operation Air social profiles
Digital presenceOperation Air financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Operation Air leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Operation Air funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Operation Air M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Operation Air
What does Operation Air do?
OperationAIR developed the AIRone, a pressure-controlled emergency ventilator designed for COVID-19 patients with respiratory insufficiency, providing positive-pressure ventilation with adjustable PEEP, I/E ratio, peak pressure, FiO2, and breathing frequency. The device was produced as 80 units for the Dutch Ministry of Health and the design was released open source for international humanitarian use under the 'Air for All' umbrella initiative.
Is Operation Air a public or private company?
Operation Air is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Operation Air founded?
Operation Air was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Operation Air based?
Operation Air is headquartered in Delft, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Operation Air make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Government Procurement is the primary driver. The others are open Source Design Sharing.
Who are Operation Air's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ResMed, Medtronic, Hamilton Medical, Ambu, Drägerwerk, GE HealthCare and Philips (Philips Respironics). Direct peers are MIT E-Vent (MIT Emergency Ventilator), BTB-Breathe and Project Inspiration.
Does Operation Air have an API?
No public API is recorded for Operation Air.