december2023 - 14

Cover Story
How AUTONOMOUS TRACTORS
Can Augment Ground Handling
Officials at Frankfurt Airport have explored the use of autonomous ground support
equipment's potential to facilitate more efficient personnel deployment.
BY JOSH SMITH
F
rankfurt Airport (FRA) in Germany
features a large apron
area, allowing ground personnel
to service and turnaround
thousands of flights every
month.
However, the size of the apron
means ground service providers may
have to travel long distances, reducing
efficiencies and diverting focus
away from more complex activities.
To combat this, officials at Frankfurt
Airport and Fraport Ground Handling
Services tested the effectiveness
of an autonomous tractor in airside
activities.
The first-of-its-kind trial at Frankfurt
Airport got underway at the
beginning of this year and was conducted
through March.
" Autonomous vehicles are a very
promising future option for us as
an airport operator. We've already
trialed self-driving vehicles in some
areas. But deployment on the apron on
such a long route is a completely new
During the test operation, the
vehicle drove at a maximum
speed of 13 kilometers per hour
and towed a maximum of three
baggage trailers or two large cargo
trailers.
dimension, " Eric Agthe, project manager
for process and product development
at Fraport said in a press release
announcing the project.
Testing the Technology
According to Dennis Stein, vice president
division development, logistics
and IT, at Fraport Ground Handling
Services, the aim of the trial was to
determine whether - and under what
conditions - an autonomous vehicle
could support regular baggage and
cargo operations on the apron.
The electric vehicle operated on an
8-kilometer test route within the security
area of Frankfurt Airport, Stein
explains. The test route began in the
eastern section of Frankfurt Airport's
apron, inside the baggage handling
facility located at Terminal 2. Then the
vehicle would travel south towards the
future Terminal 3.
" The trial section is divided into
three components, each of which
poses special challenges for the autonomous
vehicle, " Stein says.
" These include operations inside
the baggage handling facility amidst
other traffic and people, as well as
in the open where there are few
other vehicles. "
Over the course of the trial, the
autonomous vehicle operated during
different times of day and in varying
environments including rain and hot
weather conditions.
" During the test operation, the vehicle
drove at a maximum speed of 13
kilometers per hour and towed a maximum
of three baggage trailers or two
large cargo trailers, " he adds, noting
a safety driver specially trained and
certified for this project was present on
each test drive.
Reviewing the Results
Following the three-month trial, project
officials came away with a positive
outlook.
" The successful proof-of-concept ran
from January until March 2023 without
any accidents or major occurrences, "
Stein reports. " During the test phase,
the vehicle completed enough runs to
be able to make a valid evaluation.
" Afterwards, we came to the conclusion
that the use of an autonomous
driving truck for bag transportation
and non-critical transfers is realistic
under the given circumstances, "
he adds.
The test system proved itself under
dynamic conditions, including various
weather-related influences, different
traffic conditions and more, Stein
says. As a result, autonomous tractor
14 || Ground Support Worldwide || December 2023
FRAPORT AG
december2023

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