KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has made a significant leap toward more sustainable aviation with the successful deployment of a Taxibot on its first passenger flight from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
on December 10, the carrier announced in a press release. A KLM Boeing 737
was towed from the gate to the Polderbaan runway by an innovative tow vehicle, enabling the aircraft to keep its engines off until it reached the runway for takeoff. This marks a key milestone in KLM’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality at the airport.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport also posted the thrilling news on social media “X,” referring to it as “a successful test.”
“At Schiphol, the first ＠KLM passenger flight was taken from the gate to the Polderbaan Runway by a Taxibot. By using a Taxibot, aircraft engines can stay off until departure. This contributes to better air quality and noise reduction on the apron,” the post wrote.
KLM’s ongoing commitment to sustainability
A semi-robotic tow truck called the Taxibot is a component of the aviation industry’s rising trend toward more environmentally friendly ground operations. The Taxibot helps minimize particle emissions, CO₂, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) while reducing noise pollution on the apron by keeping the aircraft’s engines off when taxiing, KLM explained the concept in the press release.
Photo: KLM
This isn’t KLM’s first foray into sustainable taxiing with the Taxibot. In May 2020, KLM conducted initial tests with the hybrid tow vehicle using a Boeing 737 at Schiphol Airport, Simple Flying previously reported. This test showed that the Taxibot might provide a more environmentally friendly option than conventional taxiing techniques, which include keeping aircraft engines running by drastically lowering emissions during the taxiing phase. However, Tuesday’s flight is historic since it is the first time KLM has deployed the Taxibot on a commercial passenger aircraft with onboard passengers.
Related
KLM’s ‘Premium Comfort’ Cabin: 5 Things You Should Know
The Dutch carrier only introduced Premium Comfort in 2022.
How does the Taxibot work?
The Taxibot may appear to be a typical airport tug at first appearance. Still, it is essentially different since the airplane’s pilot controls it during taxiing instead of a ground staff member. KLM explained that the Taxibot tows the plane to the runway when it is connected to it at the gate. The pilot disengages the Taxibot and turns on the airplane’s engines for departure as soon as they arrive at the runway.
Photo: KLM
The Taxibot has more benefits than just lowering emissions. Compared to traditional taxiing with engines operating, it helps preserve the nose landing gear’s lifetime, which is less strained. The Taxibot also helps to reduce noise pollution, especially in the airport apron area where conventional engine-powered taxiing may cause a lot of noise disturbances.
Furthermore, by allowing aircraft to travel at up to 23 knots—much faster than usual taxi speeds—without requiring the engines to run, the Taxibot technology improves operating efficiency. In addition to providing significant fuel and maintenance cost savings, this makes the taxiing procedure easier and more effective.
The technology was delivered to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in March 2020, and Turkish leisure carrier Corendon Airlines
conducted the first tests the following month. Before transferring the technology to its affiliate Transavia, KLM started testing it internally.
Photo: Tupungato | Shutterstock
A global trend towards sustainable taxiing
KLM’s use of the Taxibot is in line with an expanding trend in the aviation industry. Other airlines, such as Air India
, are also using the technique to lower pollution and fuel usage at airports. According to a Simple Flying story from April 2023, Air India and KSU Aviation have inked a deal to introduce Taxibot operations for its Airbus A320neo
series of aircraft at the airports in Delhi and Bengaluru.
SpiceJet and Air India Express were the first Indian airlines to implement the Taxibot on their Boeing 737 aircraft, and it has been in use since 2018. Since then, several Indian airlines, including IndiGo, GoAir, Air India, and AirAsia India, have also used their fleets of Airbus A320s to test sustainable technology.
