The UK-based company is working with International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and LEVEL, and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) on the deployment and demonstration of its autonomous baggage tractor.
“As one of the fastest-growing passenger and cargo hubs in the US and globally, CVG is always looking for innovative technologies to improve capacity and efficiency,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “We look forward to working with Aurrigo and IAG to identify potential solutions to help address many of the issues that aviation currently faces: staffing shortages, safety, capacity and environmental concerns, among others.”
The project will kick off with an initial deployment of one Auto-DollyTug, scheduled for spring 2024. On successful completion of the demonstration over the course of 2024, Aurrigo expects to supply additional vehicles throughout 2025.
Auto-DollyTug is an all-electric, autonomous vehicle that combines the utility of a baggage tractor with the ULD (unit load device) carrying capability of an airport dolly, making a more flexible and space efficient vehicle. This means that a combination of an Auto-DollyTug towing three trailers will carry four ULDs, which is 30% more than a traditional tug set-up of the same overall length. Auto-DollyTug incorporates robotic arms on the body, allowing the vehicle to autonomously load and unload a ULD itself, for an end-to-end autonomous operation.
