Delhi & Mumbai Airport Will Soon Introduce “TaxiBots”!

In a bid to control air pollution and to help airlines save fuel, Delhi And Mumbai Airport are all set to introduce ‘TaxiBots’.

TaxiBots are aircraft taxiing vehicles that can reduce air pollution by reducing emissions from aircraft engines, as well as help airplanes save on fuel consumption by 85%.

Here’s how TaxiBots work–

• TaxiBot is a semi-robotic vehicle which connects to the aircraft and is controlled by the pilot.
• The vehicle is then used to taxi the aircraft from the parking bay to the runway, without using the airplane’s main engine.
• It lifts and holds the aircrafts nose wheel, while the pilot backs the airplane from the terminal building.

These vehicles will also help reduce aircraft engine noise levels by 60% and foreign object damage by 50%.

TaxiBots have been designed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), who announced last week that they will partner with KSU Aviation from India to operate these vehicles at Delhi and Mumbai Airport.

According to IAI, the contract will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will see these vehicles being implemented on a trial basis until December 2018.

The second phase will involve delivering 38 additional vehicles within a span of four years to the two international airports. Delhi Airport is likely to be the first to deploy these vehicles.

Delhi International Airport Limited(DIAL) has said that Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) will be the first airport in the world to use this technology. They also said that the trials will start by September 2018 for a period of three months.

It is estimated that the air passenger traffic in India will increase from 308.7 million in 2018 to 1.6 billion by 2033. More than 1500 aircrafts have been ordered by different international & domestic airlines to operate in India.

TaxiBots may be the answer to the pollution at airports that may be caused by this exponential growth. If the trial is successful, other airports in India should consider adopting this technology to become more environmental friendly.