Singapore's Changi Airport will soon roll out autonomous baggage tractors as part of a trial for driverless vehicles. The tractors will be able to pull up to 6 tonnes of luggage at a go.
“With a presence in Singapore for over 35 years, TLD and sister company SAS - Smart Airport Systems - have always been very keen on participating to the development of Changi Airport Group (CAG) towards the airport of the future. Naturally when we teamed up with EasyMile and got the honor to participate as partners to this project, we responded positively to the Airside Transformation Office of Changi Airport Group,” said Yves Crespel, chief communication officer of Alvest, the holding company for both TLD and Smart Airport Systems.
“Bringing efficiency and safety to airport operations is an obvious advantage to using autonomous vehicles. Thanks to its advanced technology and embedded fleet management system, TractEasy will greatly contribute to optimization of baggage handling flows and processes around the airport. And ultimately allow safer, leaner and greener airside operations,” added Yves.
“Changi Airport Group believes that autonomous vehicle technology and robotics will play a big part in the airport of the future,” said CAG executive vice president for airport management Tan Lye Teck.
Thanks to their local footprint in Singapore, TLD and Smart Airport Systems, alongside the EasyMile and the Changi Airport Group teams, completed months of preparation and testing before handing over a fleet of TractEasy to live operation.
“We've just completed the proof of concept, and we're moving towards live flight operations with our ground handling partners, mainly SATS, to see how this tractor can supplement existing live flight operations,” said Juliette Chia, a senior associate at CAG's Airside Transformation Office.
