Team News Riveting
Mumbai, October 5
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 AirAsia 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 and CEO, AirAsia India.
Delhi Airport has emerged as a trendsetter in alternate taxiing solutions by using TaxiBots as part of its regular operations. It is the first airport in the world to adopt this green taxiing solution in May 2019. Since then, the airport has witnessed 1,500 movements of sustainable taxiing of aircraft in September 2021, which has helped in reducing around ~880 tonne of Carbon at Delhi Airport and helped airlines in saving around ~278 tonne of aviation turbine fuel (ATF).
Headquartered in Bengaluru, India, AirAsia India Limited is a joint venture between Tata Sons Private Limited and AirAsia Investment Limited that commenced operations on 12th June 2014 and flies over 240 direct and connecting routes across India.
