Trials of the Taxibot are gathering speed. This hybrid-electric, pilot-controlled ground tug aims to cut aircraft fuel burn and emissions during ground movements. Taxibot is part of HERON, a European initiative aimed at optimising aircraft operations that ends this year.
Airbus-led HERON is a European initiative aimed at improving the efficiency of aircraft operations, both in the air and on the ground. One area of study is the Taxibot, a pilot-controlled hybrid-electric tug. Trials at a handful of airports including Amsterdam Schiphol are gathering pace, though HERON itself will close by the end of 2025.
Lower CO2, NOx and noise emissions on the ground
HERON stands for Highly Efficient gReen OperatioNs. Part of the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) Joint Undertaking, the project aims to demonstrate how aviation’s environmental footprint can be reduced through efficient ground operations and optimised air traffic management (ATM).
Project coordinator Airbus is one of 24 HERON partners across ten countries. Together they represent the full aviation ecosystem, including airlines, airports, air traffic control agencies and service providers.
Central to HERON’s ground operations study, the pilot controlled hybrid-electric Taxibot can pull a single-aisle aircraft between a remote stand and the runway without using the aircraft’s engines. The tug cuts unnecessary fuel burn, leading to a reduction in CO2 and NOx emissions as well as noise pollution.
The tug requires small modifications to the aircraft’s avionics bay. How does it work? Taxibot is clamped to the aircraft nose landing gear. The nose wheel is raised onto a pivotable platform, enabling the pilot to use the aircraft tiller and brake to steer. Taxibot’s driver only connects the tug to the aircraft and carries out pushback, before the pilot takes control. The engines then spool up just before takeoff.
Certified and ready for retrofit
The modifications are now certified and available to Airbus single-aisle customers in retrofit. Indeed, easyJet intends to conduct a trial later in 2025 at Schiphol airport.
Schiphol is an ideal candidate for hybrid tug operations, given the long distance between some of its six runways and the terminals. New York’s JFK airport is also trialling the tugs, along with New Delhi, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Brussels.
Towards fully electric Taxibots
Schiphol aims to become an emissions-free airport by 2030. Its own studies indicate that large-scale adoption of the Taxibot could lead to ground fuel savings of around 50%. For taxi legs to more distant runways, these savings could reach as much as 85%. Further, a fully electric tug is expected to be added to the Taxibot offering from 2026, and a widebody version is also under development.
Taxibot originated with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), who hold the trademark. In 2009, IAI partnered with TLD, a French manufacturer of airport ground support equipment, for production. The prototype was built in France in 2011.
Now that the Taxibot is in operation, efforts are underway to train more pilots to use it. Adjustments to airport infrastructure continue to more efficiently connect and remove the tugs. Finally, trials are ongoing to integrate the tugs into airport operations and better coordinate procedures between pilots, air traffic control and ground handling crews.
Becoming standard procedure
In the longer term, Airbus and its HERON partners will continue to push for Taxibot expansion, eventually making it the standard procedure for aircraft ground movements where advisable.
“Airports are actively pursuing solutions to reduce CO2 emissions from ground operations, which is in line with the broader initiatives of HERON,” notes Benjamin Tessier, HERON Coordinator and Vehicle Systems Architect at Airbus. Moreover, after three years spent developing the Taxibot kit for its single-aisle platforms, Airbus is now considering its adoption for the rest of its fleet.
The Taxibot is just one aspect of HERON, which concludes in December 2025. Other areas under development include air traffic control tools that support the use of ADS-C EPP (the standards for sharing trajectory data between aircraft and ATC) for future trajectory-based operations; single engine taxiing; and improved approach and runway operations to mitigate CO2 and noise emissions.
HERON’s 24 partners include coordinator Airbus, as well as Aéroports de Paris, Air France, Brussels Airport Company, easyJet, EUROCONTROL, Leonardo, Lufthansa and Schiphol airport among others.