Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and the Dutch airline, KLM, have broken new ground in aviation with a pioneering initiative to trial autonomous shuttles for flight crew transportation. These electric shuttles signal the commencement of the second phase of testing at the hub, facilitating crew from KLM Cityhopper to traverse pre-designated paths to and from the airport apron.
The trial is largely a product of the Royal Schiphol Group’s interest in the potential of autonomous transportation. Jan Zekveld, the Group’s Head of Innovation, has spoken enthusiastically about the wealth of data expected to be harvested from these trials, originally initiated in March. The Group is interested in seeing how crew members adapt to autonomous transport, which will contribute to gaining public trust in the technology and open doors to further self-driving vehicle integration.
While these Ohmio-manufactured shuttles will function on fixed routes, they are engineered with cameras, GPS technology, and LIDAR sensors that enable them to detect and manoeuvre around obstacles in a 30m radius.
These innovative shuttles will be maintained by KLM Ground Services and contribute towards Schiphol Airport’s green initiative, aligning with its target for zero-emission ground operations by 2050. KLM Cityhopper’s Managing Director, Maarten Koopmans, lauded the trial as a perfect fit for KLM’s ambition for emissions-free ground handling by 2030.
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