Driving sustainability and optimising efficiency in aviation operations, AirAsia India today announced the implementation of an Alternate Taxiing Solution, TaxiBot. AirAsia India tied up with KSU Aviation the exclusive operator of the TaxiBot in India. TaxiBot is the latest in a string of digital and sustainability initiatives from AirAsia India which enable the airline to leverage innovative technological solutions to monitor, predict and deliver operational efficiency.
The Taxibot is a semi-robotic towbarless aircraft movement device developed by Israel Aerospace Industries. The Taxibot can tow an aircraft from the terminal gate to the take-off point (taxi-out phase) and return it to the gate after landing (taxi-in phase) without utilizing the aircraft engines. The Taxibot significantly reduces aircraft fuel usage, emissions and noise levels at airports, and the risk of foreign object and jet blast damage, and operates with a hybrid-electric engine.
AirAsia India is the first Airbus operator in the world to start TaxiBot services with passengers onboard with a modified Airbus fleet. This landmark announcement is in keeping with AirAsia India’s sustainability strategy, after a series of enhancements since successful process evaluation trials in March 2019.
TaxiBot is proclaimed as the green revolution in airplane taxiing, helping enhance fuel efficiency and predictive maintenance and services. The aircraft engineering modifications were done by Air India’s best-in-class engineering team and required routing more than 50 new wires inside the aircraft, installation of relays in the Avionics Bay and a control panel in the cockpit, and a series of operational tests prior to certification. This heralds a scalable and sustainable ecosystem towards greener aviation.
“We’re delighted to announce the initiation of TaxiBot operations towards enhancing sustainable aviation operations and leveraging technology to drive differentiation and operational efficiency. It is a proud moment for AirAsia India to be the first Airbus operator in the world to start TaxiBot services with passengers onboard with a modified Airbus fleet. We look forward to continuing to explore and undertake new and inspiring possibilities in aviation and lead the way forward,” said Sunil Bhaskaran, MD & CEO, AirAsia India.
KSU spokesperson mentioned that the present fleet of TaxiBot’s deployed at Indian airports had completed ~1500 TaxiBoting operations and an additional 40 TaxiBot’s are slated to be operational at Indian airports, a major force multiplier towards reducing ground carbon emission in the world’s leading aviation market.
