Ground_Support_December1220_January0121 - 18

COVER STORY

particles, NOx and noise are too. This is
where sustainable taxiing really makes a
difference. "
Due to the impact of the coronavirus,
officials temporarily halted the trial for
about a month until a new method was
established, allowing the trial to restart
with fewer people on site and allowing
them to social distance.
However, the impact of the pandemic
also offered opportunities.
" It was relatively quiet on airside, with
less other traffic, " explain Prent and
Bresser. " Therefore, we were able to test
anything we wanted. In the original plan,
we would carry out the trial with empty
planes at night. Due to corona, we performed our test during the day. "
According to Prent and Bresser, 170
missions were performed during the trial
period that concluded in mid-August.
" We tested the impact on the flow, but also
the difficulty of using the TaxiBot in daily
operations. We introduced the technology
to our stakeholders and got a better view on
the challenges connected to it, " they explain.
The airport's representatives had
hypotheses in different categories, including fuel reduction, TaxiBot's performance
and the process of implementing the equipment. Some of the items now being investigated include how sustainable taxiing can
be integrated into daily operations, whether
it is achievable on a large scale and how
long and in what time period the transition
phase should be, explain Prent and Bresser.
" Together with Air Traffic Control The
Netherlands (LVNL), we are now working
on a simulation based on the data from the
operational tests; what if there are several

18 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE

TaxiBots driving around Schiphol at the
same time? " they say.
" We are combining the results of the
simulation and the missions in a feasibility study, which will be completed by the
end of the year. "
The relatively long taxi times at Schiphol
proved to be an advantage as fuel usage
reduction is a function of taxi time. Total
taxiing fuel can be reduced by 50-85%,
according to Prent and Bresser.
" These fuel savings represent potentially
dozens of millions of Euros at Schiphol and
they can more finance the acquisition and
operations of the TaxiBots, " notes Metz.
" This is typically a case of the new Green
economy where the environmental solution
brings direct economic advantages to the
airlines. "
That combination of ecological impact
and economic viability has been demonstrated by the " Solar Impulse " label that
the TaxiBot received about a year ago. The
Solar Impulse foundation, created by Bertrand Piccard, has a clear purpose which is
to boost the adoption of profitable solutions
to protect the environment.
" In addition, using a TaxiBot reduces
issues with blast, " Prent and Bresser point
out. " With the TaxiBot, blast is reduced
and the airport's capacity can be used to
the fullest, without safety issues. There
is no need to start-up engines in the busy
bay areas around gates. This means less
time in the busiest area of the airport. This
reduces congestion and, again, increases
gate capacity. "
What's more, the airport works hard to
reduce foreign object debris (FOD) and the
damage it can cause aircraft engines.

DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021

" Both the airport and airline will benefit
greatly from the reduced FOD costs due to
the fact that the engines are not running
in the most FOD-prone areas around the
gates, " say Prent and Bresser.
The tests at Schiphol were conducted
with KLM, Transavia and Corendon Dutch
Airlines, along with their ground handling
partners, KLM Ground Services and dnata.
" All parties see the potential but also see
that their processes change, " explain Prent
and Bresser.
" There are numerous conditions and
recommendations that we are bringing
together in the feasibility study reports
we are currently finishing up. "

Additional Opportunities
While the initial trials have concluded and
TaxiBots are in live operation at airports
in Bangalore and Delhi, more is still being
done to understand the viability of TaxiBot
operations at Schiphol, specifically.
For example, the taxi process can also be
reversed to assist aircraft coming in, which
is currently being studied and organized
at Schiphol to achieve additional environmental benefits.
Further efficiencies in the ground support equipment are also being sought.
" What we have today is a version that is
driven by diesel engines. One of the technology developments we are looking at,
together with Schiphol, is to see if we can
make a fully electrical TaxiBot to practically generate zero emissions, " Metz says.
" Although, that only adds a very limited
amount of pollution reduction.
" The other part is a strong ambition to
make it autonomous, " he adds, noting reg-

Ground_Support_December1220_January0121

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