Israel Aerospace’s TaxiBot to expand to airports in Netherlands, India
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced it was expanding its TaxiBot operation to two new airports, Bangalore Airport in India and Schiphol in Amsterdam.
Officially certified for use in 2014, the TaxiBot is a semi-robotic vehicle controlled by a pilot, and is used as a means of taxiing the plane from the gate bridge after passengers board to the runway. This method allows the plane to be taxied without turning on its jet engines, cutting down 85% of fuel burnt in taxiing.
This, in turn, has the added benefits of cutting back greenhouse gas emissions, reducing noise by 60%, reducing the damage caused by objects being sucked into the engines during the taxiing process by 50% and speeding up departures by approximately four minutes.
Schiphol has recently started a pilot program to get ready to adopt the TaxiBot operation, while Bangalore Airport is currently testing the system to start operations as soon as possible.
Both airports are taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis – which has nearly completely halted airport operations – to test new developments that allow them to operate with greater efficiency when the travel resumes.
“The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in near-cessation of operations in many airports,” IAI vice president and Aviation Group head Yossi Melamed said in a statement.
“We are taking advantage of the opportunities this situation offers. The US and several governments in Europe such as Holland France conditioned their economic assistance to businesses, including airports and airliners, on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The TaxiBot helps airports and airliners meet the requirements and save on resources. We are excited about the interest that airports are showing in our development,” Melamed added.