SESAR partners, led by SESAR 3 JU founding member Schiphol, have started follow-up testing on more sustainable methods for taxiing. The tests are part of work undertaken by SESAR's flagship very large-scale demonstration, ALBATROSS, and its successor, the Digital European Sky Demonstrator, HERON, co-funded by CINEA.

Taking place at the airport, the trials involved a KLM aircraft moving to and from a platform near the Zwanenburgbaan runway with its engines switched off. This way of taxiing can significantly reduce fuel consumption and therefore CO2, nitrogen and ultrafine particle emissions.

Taxibots will be deployed at the airport over the next year and a half. The Taxibots will take selected aircraft to a location further away from the gate and en route to the runway to start their engines there. Further operational testing will include pushbacks and towing empty aircraft. The aim is to test, introduce and scale up new procedures for sustainable taxiing to and from the Polderbaan, among other locations, from mid-2024.

Schiphol aims to have sustainable taxiing operation at the airport by 2030, and is working towards this goal in collaboration the Dutch air navigation service provider (LVNL), KLM, Transavia, Corendon Dutch Airlines, TUIfly and ground handling companies dnata, Swissport, Viggo, KLM Ground Services and TaxiBot provider Smart Airport Systems. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is supporting the initiative, in addition to the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking.

Read full press release:

https://news.schiphol.com/aviation-sector-starts-follow-up-sustainable-taxiing-tests-at-schiphol/

Watch video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mO0wrP8_ac