Autonomous Vehicles at Airports

Entry requirements

Please use this Research Proposal, Personal statement and CV writing guide when preparing an application.

Months of entry

Anytime

Course content

According to the Airport Council International, given the logistical complexities present in an airport environment, AVs have created a myriad of opportunities to automate tasks. These tasks fall within robotics, self-driving vehicles, airport parking services and airside operations. Examples of current and future AV applications at airports include robotic security guards, self-driving wheelchairs, robotics cleaners, robotic trolley collection, robo-taxis, airside passenger bussing, autonomous dollies, foreign object detection, automated runway inspection, robotic runway and apron cleaner, baggage robots, automated baggage loader, autonomous snowplough, robotic wayfinding, autonomous toilet truck, driverless crew bus, autonomous aircraft tugs, autonomous catering truck, etc. These can be grouped into five major categories:

1. Transport to satellite terminals. Ability to service satellite terminals with autonomous transport pods that do not require a dedicated corridor.

2. Platooning ground support equipment. Ability to platoon fleets of GSE to make aircraft turnaround quicker and reduce size of fleet.

3. Repurpose car park space to release airside capacity. Re-purpose car parks as aprons by making off-site car parks more accessible with on-demand autonomous transport pods.

4. In-vehicle biometric check-in. Priority passengers could be picked up in an airport owned robo-taxi with check-in and passport control conducted in the vehicle. Drops passengers
directly airside.

5. Road control centers to reduce congestion. Cars joining the airport road network and are guided via the most efficient and suitable route to the airport terminal or car park.

Applications of robots in the passenger terminal include providing on-the-spot assistance to passengers or in-terminal cleaning functions (e.g., Incheon Airport, Haneda Airport, Auckland Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, etc.).

Self-driving vehicles are being deployed for passengers, staff and goods, both outside the terminal buildings and on the airside (e.g., Christchurch Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, etc.).

The use of robotics and autonomous vehicles offers some opportunities for maximizing the use of parking space (Lyon Airport and Paris CDG, Dusseldorf Airport, etc.).

The structured nature of airside operations has also been shown to lend itself to autonomous operations (Edmonton Airport, Oslo Airport, Winnipeg Airport, Heathrow Airport, etc.).

There are many reasons for airports to use autonomous vehicles:
shortage of qualified staff to perform a given airport task (e.g., vehicle drivers, ground handling
staff, command and control staff, safety and security staff and others); need to perform additional services with the same number of staff; need to increase operational safety; need to improve surveillance and common situational awareness.

The proposed research will assess the feasibility of a particular AV implementation for particular airport and its needs, design and implement a proof of concept, and evaluate results.

Fees and funding

This programme is self-funded.

To enquire about University of Salford funding schemes – including the Widening Participation Scholarship – visit this website.