Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) designed TaxiBots begin trials in India.
TaxiBot is a semi-robotic vehicle which connects to the aircraft and is controlled by the pilot to taxi the airplane from the airport’s jet bridge (“sleeve”) to the runway with no use of the aircraft main jet engines. The hauling of the aircraft by the TaxiBot saves 85 percent of the fuel consumed during standard taxi and provides a similar reduction of 85 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted by the aircraft’s main engines. Taxiing with the TaxiBot reduces noise levels by 60 percent and foreign object damage by 50 percent as foreign objects can’t be sucked into the aircraft engines if they are not running. An additional benefit is the streamlining and increased throughput of aircraft entering and exiting the terminal area. The Indian government regards the TaxiBot as a significant means for addressing the grave air pollution issues in airports, which are exacerbating due to the continued growth of air transportation. The final tests of the vehicles designated for New Delhi Airport are being completed now in Frankfurt airport with the support of Lufthansa LEOS and TLD, as part of the ongoing productive collaboration with IAI from the beginning of the project.
Millennium is involved in local support, maintenance, heavy testing and commissioning the vehicles.
