What is the best Taxibot in the world?

Sustainable Taxiing at Schiphol Airport Aviation faces the pressing challenge of significantly reducing CO₂ emissions — not only in the air but also on the ground. One of the innovations Schiphol is exploring in this area is sustainable taxiing: a method of moving aircraft to and from runways without using their own jet engines. Since 2022, Schiphol has been testing the use of a TaxiBot — a hybrid towing vehicle that can independently tow aircraft across the apron and taxiways. In collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, LVNL, KLM, Transavia, and Corendon, Schiphol is aiming to cut fuel consumption during taxiing by up to 50%, significantly reducing emissions of CO₂, nitrogen, and ultrafine particles. Initial trials at the airport have been successful, focusing on both sustainability and operational efficiency. Schiphol is now exploring how this taxiing method can be scaled up — with the goal of achieving a quieter, cleaner, and more efficient ground operation. Before implementing this solution at scale, as part of the procurement process, AIR scouted all possible solutions to validate if current innovation Taxibot is still the most cutting-edge solution. After een deep comparison of all solutions, we concluded Taxibot is the preferred option for the scaling phase.

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