KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has successfully tested a TaxiBot to tow its first passenger flight to the Polderbaan runway for departure at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
According to a post by the airport on X, Tuesday’s test allowed for the KLM aircraft’s engines to remain off until departure, helping to improve air quality and reduce noise on the apron. Additionally, Schiphol stated that the pilot operates the TaxiBot, not a tug driver.
In 2021, Schiphol and several partners in the sector set a goal to make sustainable taxiing standard procedure by 2030. The airport stated in a news release at the time that significant adjustments to infrastructure, processes, and technology would be needed to reach this goal.
A successful test! At Schiphol, the first @KLM passenger flight was taken from the gate to the Polderbaan Runway by a Taxibot ✈️ By using a Taxibot, aircraft engines can stay off until departure. This contributes to better air quality and noise reduction on the apron.
Fun fact:… pic.twitter.com/NQSha7asBJ
— Schiphol (@Schiphol) December 10, 2024
“Because many of these essential adjustments are new to aviation, and because Schiphol is the first airport in the world that wants to implement sustainable taxiing on a large scale, it will take some time for the technology and infrastructure to be developed and for it to be certified and approved,” Schiphol stated in the release.
In Comes TaxiBot
In the 2021 news release, Schiphol cited a 2020 TaxiBot pilot study that simulated narrow-body aircraft being taken to and from the runway by a semi-robotic aircraft towing vehicle – a “TaxiBot.”
Provided by Smart Airport Systems and developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, the TaxiBot allowed aircraft to keep their engines off for most of the taxi process.
“This resulted in fuel savings of around 50%, depending on which runway was used,” the release stated. “Fuel savings can be as high as 65% when an aircraft is taxiing to the Polderbaan – the runway with the longest taxi time. “
Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, the Dutch minister of infrastructure and water management, praised the Taxibot testing.
“It’s great that the Taxibot tests have shown that the aviation sector can use significantly less kerosene during taxiing and therefore reduce emissions,” she said in the release. “Now, full steam ahead so that this can become standard in aviation in the foreseeable future!”
