The autonomous buses will be used at the airside so airside workers do not have to perform routine driving tasks and can focus on more complex activities. - Photo: SATS
SINGAPORE: A self-driving bus to transport workers around Changi Airport’s restricted area will go on trial from the third quarter of 2024, as part of efforts to improve manpower productivity at the airport through automation.
Airport operator Changi Airport Group (CAG), Singapore Airlines Engineering Company (SIAEC) and Sats Airport Services, a subsidiary of ground handler Sats, inked an agreement on Wednesday (July 17) to start a two-year proof of concept.
The idea is to use autonomous buses at the airside, which is the part of the airport where the loading and unloading of aircraft, as well as take-offs and landings, take place.
This is so airside workers do not have to perform routine driving tasks and can focus on more complex activities.
The upcoming trial, which will take place in two phases, will allow CAG, SIAEC and Sats to evaluate the self-driving capabilities of the autonomous bus, including its operational performance and safety.
The first phase is expected to last about nine months, and it will be conducted in a controlled environment at the airport without any passengers on board.
In the trial’s second phase, the self-driving bus will be tested in a live operational environment alongside non-autonomous vehicles.
During both phases, a safety driver trained by Sats will be on board at all times.
CAG, SIAEC and Sats did not provide more details about the trial, but images provided by Sats indicate the bus will likely be supplied by Chinese commercial vehicle brand Skywell.
The parties did not disclose the expected cost of the two-year collaboration. In a statement, they said only that the initiative will be co-funded by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) through its S$280 million Aviation Development Fund.
SIAEC chief sustainability officer and executive vice-president for operations Foo Kean Shuh said integrating autonomous buses into airport operations at Changi will raise productivity, improve road safety and reduce congestion in the longer term by optimising the number of airside vehicles at the airport.
“This trial will allow us to understand technology aspects, as well as future concept of operations, to fulfil staff transportation needs at the airside,” he added.
Today, there are about 2,500 airside vehicles at Changi Airport, ranging from cars, vans and minibuses to heavier vehicles like tractors and forklifts.
CAG has already been trialling autonomous versions of some of these airside vehicles for several years now, though none have involved the transportation of people.
Since 2020, a fleet of driverless baggage tractors developed by airport ground support equipment manufacturer TLD and autonomous vehicle firm EasyMile have been undergoing extensive testing at Changi.
Another set of driverless baggage handling vehicles by British transport technology firm Aurrigo that can autonomously load and unload baggage containers have also been on trial at the airport since 2022, with CAG inking a deal in May to buy more of them.
Meanwhile, at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), an autonomous shuttle bus service has been ferrying airport staff to work in various locations across the airport’s restricted area since May 2023.
Visitors to the territory will also be able to catch a ride soon on autonomous vehicles travelling between Hong Kong Port and SkyCity, a commercial development at HKIA, with the airport authority there awarding a tender in June 2024 to develop the city’s first autonomous mass transportation system. - The Straits Times/ANN
[Correction note: This story has been updated for accuracy.]
