Autonomous buses set for trial run at Changi Airport

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Global Industry News

Autonomous buses set for trial run at Changi Airport

Research

Joe Petrie Editor & Chief | AviationPros

By Sky Industry News

Jul 17, 2024

SATS Airport Services Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of SATS Ltd, SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC), and Changi Airport Group (CAG) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to trial autonomous buses for transporting airport staff around Changi Airport’s airside. This initiative is co-funded under the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS)’s Aviation Development Fund (ADF).

The two-year collaboration aims to contribute to Singapore’s Smart Nation vision by leveraging technology to enhance various sectors, including transport. The proof of concept (POC), starting in the third quarter of 2024, will test the self-driving capabilities of the autonomous bus with an on-board safety driver. The POC will be conducted in two phases: first in a sterile environment and then in a live operational setting.

This initiative is part of Changi Airport’s efforts to automate routine tasks, allowing airside professionals to focus on more complex activities while offering opportunities for job redesign and upskilling. The project partners hope that this POC will encourage further development and deployment of autonomous solutions to improve manpower productivity at the airport.

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“SATS is excited to partner CAG and SIAEC to trial the use of autonomous buses for airside staff transport with support from CAAS,” said Henry Low, chief operating officer SATS and CEO-designate SATS Singapore Hub. “This initiative presents the opportunity to develop the operating model for autonomous bus deployment in a live environment and gather data and learnings in readiness to scale autonomous airside staff transport operations.”

Low added that this partnership aligns with SATS Group’s vision of transforming aviation hub handling through digitalisation and automation.

Foo Kean Shuh, executive vice president, operations, and chief sustainability officer at SIA Engineering Company remarked, “Advancing digitalisation and technology adoption is a key priority in SIAEC’s Continuous Improvement journey. Through seamless integration of autonomous buses into airport operations, we aim to raise workforce productivity, improve road safety and reduce congestion."

Yeo Kia Thye, managing director of Airport Operations Control at Changi Airport Group stated, “CAG is excited to be on this innovation journey with our airport partners. This complements ongoing automation trials aimed at driving greater manpower productivity across our airport operations.”