Rise of the taxibot
(Photo Airbus)
AIRBUS HAS gained approval for avionics bay changes on its A320 Family aircraft to allow use of the Taxibot pilot-controlled hybrid-electric tug to move aircraft on the ground. The three-year project enables aircraft to save fuel by taxiing with the engines off, but requires “small modifications to the aircraft’s avionics bay” according to the airframer. The semi-driverless tug is clamped to the nose landing gear, which then raises the nosewheel onto a pivotable platform, enabling the pilot to use the aircraft tiller and brake to steer. In a statement, Airbus said: “Taxibot’s driver connects the tug to the aircraft and carries out pushback, before the pilot takes control. The engines then spool up just before take-off.” Tests took place at Paris/Charles de Gaulle and Brussels and easyJet is planning operational trials later this year at Amsterdam/ Schiphol, where the savings could be “as much as 85%” of taxi fuel to the furthest runways. The successful trials mean Airbus “is now considering its adoption for the rest of its fleet.” The project is part of a wider European programme called Highly Efficient Green Operations (HERON), which aims to deliver environmental benefits through improved aircraft operations. The 24-member Airbus-led project is part funded by the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme and “aims to demonstrate how aviation’s environmental footprint can be reduced through efficient ground operations and optimised air traffic management.” The £34.7m programme runs until the end of 2025 and, in the longer term, “Airbus and its HERON partners will continue to push for Taxibot expansion, eventually making it the standard procedure for aircraft ground movements where advisable.”