Airport Ground Support Innovations: Digital ops, autonomy, and electrification

London Heathrow Airport (UK) has extended its digital-services partnership with Adobe to improve online passenger information and the airport’s visibility in AI-powered search. Adobe’s customer-experience platform will support Heathrow’s website, which receives more than 50 million visits a year. The system is intended to tailor website content to individual users and help passengers find airport information, accessibility services and other resources more easily.

The partnership also includes Adobe tools that monitor how Heathrow information appears in generative-AI services such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity. Heathrow will use the tools to identify inaccurate, missing or poorly displayed information and update its online content.

The airport is seeking to improve how passengers receive information before travelling, whether they search its website directly or ask an AI assistant. Heathrow handled more than 84.5 million passengers annually, according to the announcement.

The agreement builds on a relationship between Adobe and Heathrow that has lasted for more than a decade. No contract value, implementation timetable or specific passenger-facing features were disclosed.

Air France KLM Martinair Cargo has introduced a vacuum lifting system at its KLM Cargo Hub at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Netherlands). Supplied by Swedish equipment company LiftsAll, the system has been in daily use since 13 July in pallet build-up and break-down operations. It assists employees who repeatedly lift and move individual boxes while handling cargo pallets.

Two test phases involving cargo employees preceded deployment. Motion-capture measurements using Movella Xsens technology found that the equipment eliminates the lifting effort required to move compatible boxes during pallet breakdown. KLM Cargo said the system can handle about 80% of individual boxes; wet or unsuitable cargo must still be moved manually.

The installation forms part of KLM’s Autonomous Operations programme, which is assessing technologies for ground operations, cargo handling and maintenance. The carrier said employee testing is intended to establish whether equipment is suitable for daily operational use before any wider deployment.

Athens International Airport (Greece) has awarded TK Elevator a contract to modernise aircraft docking and apron-management systems. TK Elevator (TKE), a supplier of airport mobility and digital airside systems, will deliver and install 104 ApronVision advanced visual docking guidance systems, known as A-VDGS units. The equipment will replace earlier-generation systems at 24 contact stands and introduce A-VDGS at 80 remote stands for the first time.

All units will connect to MAX Monitor & Control, TKE’s stand-management platform for real-time monitoring, alarms, equipment status and performance analytics. The LiDAR-based docking systems will provide aircraft-positioning guidance, including in adverse weather, and are intended to support safer aircraft docking, remote management and more predictable turnarounds.

Deployment will be phased through 2029 under a framework agreement, followed by maintenance and support through 2036. The project does not specify a contract value or installation timetable by stand.

Athens International Airport handled 34 million passengers and more than 283,000 aircraft movements in 2025. The programme will create a common digital apron-management system across its aircraft parking stands for the airport, airlines and ground-handling operators.

Eternity Technologies has completed acceptance and certification of an electric ground support equipment charging programme across 41 Aena airports in Spain.

The infrastructure supports 2,080 GSE vehicles operated by 58 ground-handling companies. It includes 1,106 direct-current chargers, 451 dual charging stations, 66 single charging stations and the replacement of 136 existing direct-current chargers.

Eternity also introduced a web-based platform to identify vehicles, control charging, monitor energy consumption, manage users and operators, report charging sessions and integrate data with Aena’s SAP enterprise-resource-planning system. The platform had managed more than 6 GWh of electricity by August 2026.

Installation and commissioning took place between September 2023 and March 2024. Final acceptance and certification were completed in July 2026.

Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (Quebec, Canada) has introduced Veovo’s flight-information and airport-operations platform. The deployment includes a new Flight Information Display System and Airport Operational Database. Veovo’s platform integrates, validates and synchronises flight data to provide a single operational record for airport teams, passenger displays and connected systems.

The Flight Information Display System supports automatically updated disruption notices, wayfinding and service information. It can provide multilingual, location-specific content by flight, gate or departure period, alongside targeted advertising.

ADM Aéroports de Montréal, the airport operator, said the system forms part of its digital-transformation programme. The current implementation focuses on passenger information, while the platform is intended to support further operational-system integration.

A second phase will introduce Veovo’s aeronautical-revenue-management system for airport charge billing. No investment value, implementation timetable or further operational modules have been announced.

Honeywell Aerospace and the City of Phoenix Aviation Department will trial Honeywell’s SURF-A surface-alert technology on ground vehicles at three Arizona airports: Sky Harbor International Airport, Deer Valley Airport and Goodyear Airport. The trial will assess whether the system, which currently provides cockpit alerts of potential runway conflicts, can give vehicle drivers visual and audible warnings of a possible collision with an aircraft. It uses GPS and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data to identify aircraft and vehicles operating in the surrounding traffic area.

Installation is scheduled to begin in October, with testing continuing to the end of 2026. Phoenix is investing approximately USD 30,000 in the trial.

The programme follows the March collision between an Air Canada regional aircraft and an airport fire-rescue vehicle at New York LaGuardia Airport. The trial will examine whether direct alerts to airside vehicle operators can provide additional protection against runway incursions and other surface conflicts.  

Pittsburgh International Airport in Pennsylvania, United States, has launched a six-month pilot using four-legged robots powered by Skild AI software to monitor conditions in its terminal. The robots will initially measure air quality. The airport plans to assess additional tasks during the trial, including identifying spills and overflowing waste bins. Potential longer-term applications could include delivering food to passengers and transporting items for airport staff, but these uses have not been approved.

The pilot is being delivered through the Allegheny County Airport Authority’s xBridge innovation programme, which tests new aviation technologies before wider deployment. The programme has operated since 2020 and previously tested Zensors’ sensor-based security queue-monitoring system, which remains in use at the airport.

Separately, xBridge is working with Arrow Analytics and Southwest Airlines on a trial of camera and analytics technology intended to estimate available overhead carry-on baggage space during boarding.

Skild AI develops artificial-intelligence models that enable robots to perform physical tasks. The airport has not announced whether it will retain the robots after the pilot.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte has completed the rollout of AirportLabs’ digital airport-operations systems across its 13 Mexican airports. The deployment began with the VisionAir flight-information display system at Chihuahua Airport, which entered service within 40 days. The system was subsequently introduced at the remaining 12 airports before the end of 2025. In September 2026, OMA activated AirportLabs’ SkyCore airport operational database, Allegra resource-management system and Airport Community App across the entire network.

The systems are intended to provide synchronised flight information, centralise workforce communications, automate operational data flows and use machine learning to support dynamic allocation of airport resources. The programme aligns OMA’s operations with VINCI Airports’ airport operations centre model.

Monterrey International Airport, OMA’s principal hub, has also introduced AirportLabs’ RealTime Airport platform and Billing system. RealTime Airport provides operational awareness through an interactive airfield map tracking aircraft and other moving assets, while the billing platform automates aeronautical and non-aeronautical charges.

Société des Aéroports du Faso, Burkina Faso’s airport operator, has agreed to trial digital airport-management software with Airports Council International Africa and BARTHAUER Software GmbH. The memorandum of understanding covers a pilot of Smart Airport Certification and Operations Software, known as SACOS. The system is designed to digitise airport operations, interdepartmental coordination, monitoring, record-keeping, security management and performance tracking.

The pilot will test SACOS in actual or simulated operating conditions and assess its compatibility with existing airport procedures. Société des Aéroports du Faso will decide on any wider deployment only after the evaluation. No implementation timetable, contract value or national roll-out has been announced.

The trial forms part of Burkina Faso’s wider aviation-modernisation programme, which includes airport-security equipment upgrades and the planned Donsin Airport. Donsin is intended to replace Ouagadougou-Taamsê International Airport and is designed to handle at least 1 million passengers annually.

Idemia Public Security is trialling a biometric-processing lane for airports in Asia-Pacific, with a regional rollout planned within the next six to 12 months. The PaXpress SmartLane is designed to capture and match facial biometrics for several passengers at the same time while they walk through a control area. Idemia says the system could reduce queues at checkpoints by allowing identity checks without passengers stopping at individual gates.

The technology forms part of Idemia’s PaXpress passenger-processing platform, which combines mobile identity enrolment, document authentication, facial-recognition kiosks and back-end identity management. Passengers whose faces are obscured, or whose identity cannot be confirmed, would be directed to staff-led exception processing.

The company has not identified trial or deployment airports, confirmed a commercial contract, or disclosed the cost of the proposed installations. Infrastructure requirements would vary according to the scale and location of each deployment.

The plans reflect wider airport interest in biometric corridors, which link stages such as check-in, security and boarding through facial identity verification.

Veovo and Singapore-based Overdrive IoT have formed a partnership to combine their airport operations-data platforms. Veovo’s Intelligent Airport Platform will be integrated with Overdrive’s Aviation Platform, which provides real-time information on aircraft movements, airfield vehicles, ground support equipment and non-motorised assets. The combined offering is intended to connect this information with flight, resource and terminal data.

The companies said the integration would allow airport operators to monitor vehicle activity, equipment deployment, airfield conditions and congestion alongside passenger-terminal operations. Intended uses include resource allocation, congestion management and coordination during operational disruptions.

Overdrive IoT’s platform is already deployed at Changi Airport (Singapore), where it supports geofencing, alerts, runway monitoring, congestion analysis and road-use monitoring. Veovo and Overdrive have not announced a joint airport customer, implementation timetable or contract value.

The agreement is a technology partnership rather than a confirmed airport deployment.

SATS Cargo is testing autonomous cargo vehicles at Singapore Changi Airport to transfer freight within the Changi Airfreight Centre. The vehicles operate between SATS airfreight terminals and freight-forwarders’ warehouses in the airport free-trade zone. The current vehicles can carry up to 800 kg and automate routine point-to-point cargo movements. SATS said future deployment could use models with payloads of up to 1,500 kg and operate around the clock.

The service is being validated under live operating conditions before any full deployment. SATS is working with Changi Airport Group within the airport’s autonomous-vehicle operational and safety framework.

The electric-vehicle trial forms part of SATS Singapore Hub’s Hub Handler of the Future programme, announced in October 2025. The programme aims to increase cargo capacity, improve operational visibility and strengthen resilience. No fleet size, full-deployment date or investment value has been announced.

SoftBank Group (Japan) and Autonomous Solutions Inc. (United States) have formed a joint venture to develop autonomous heavy equipment for infrastructure projects, including airports. SoftBank has invested USD 225 million in Autonomous Solutions Inc., whose Mobius software manages mixed fleets of self-driving haul trucks, dozers, loaders and compactors from different equipment manufacturers. The new venture is intended for civil-construction and material-handling work, which could include airport earthworks, construction logistics and other airfield-development activity.

The venture’s name, ownership structure and separate funding amount have not been disclosed. Nor have the companies identified an airport customer, construction project, equipment order or deployment timetable.

Autonomous Solutions Inc., founded in 2000, operates an 80-hectare test site in Mendon, Utah. The investment will support the broader commercial rollout of its autonomous-equipment technology.

Sydney Airport (Australia) has begun introducing 50 electric buses to replace diesel vehicles used across landside and airside operations. The fleet comprises 25 dual-control apron buses and 25 Citirider electric shuttle buses. Australian manufacturer Bus & Coach International supplied the vehicles, which will be introduced progressively.

Digital passenger-information displays will be installed onboard and at bus stops, providing live estimated journey and waiting times. Sydney Airport said the fleet will be powered by renewable electricity through its power-purchase agreement and will reduce direct operational emissions.

The programme supports the airport’s target to reach net zero for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030. The buses carry “Gamay” artwork by Dharawal artist Shane Youngberry, developed with the Gujaga Foundation. Gamay is the Dharawal name for Botany Bay.

XOPS has launched Insight, a software platform that converts ground-support-equipment data into operational recommendations for ground handlers. The system analyses fleet maintenance, utilisation, energy and fuel consumption, equipment availability, driver behaviour and ramp safety. Rather than solely displaying historical data, it is designed to identify actions such as reducing surplus equipment at a station or addressing assets with low availability. Ground support equipment includes vehicles and machinery used for aircraft turnaround, including baggage tractors.

Insight draws on XOPS fleet data and integrations with TLD, a ground-support-equipment manufacturer, and Smart Airport Systems. It can process data from TLD and non-TLD assets. Operators can use the platform as a standalone service or integrate it with maintenance-management, predictive-maintenance and safety-monitoring systems, including airport operations centres.

The platform is supplied under a software-as-a-service model. Operators install fleet hardware and subscribe to access the service. XOPS had begun commercial sales before formally launching Insight at GSE Expo Europe in Lisbon.

Cobus Industries has expanded its airport ground-mobility offer beyond bus manufacturing to include electrification support, lifecycle services and training.

The company said airports, airlines and ground handlers increasingly require support with vehicle selection, charging and other electrification infrastructure, passenger growth and more complex airside operations. Its expanded services include advice on fleet and electrification options, global spare-parts support and practical training throughout a vehicle’s operating life.

Cobus is also adding online courses and customer-specific formats to Cobus Academy, its training programme. The company said the additions are intended to make vehicle-safety and operational-efficiency training more accessible to airport operators and ground-handling organisations.

Cobus presented the expanded approach at GSE Expo Europe 2026. The company has manufactured airport buses for more than 30 years and reports that more than 5,000 buses operate at over 350 airports in 115 countries. No new vehicle model, service contract or investment value was announced.

ALVEST has launched TLD Robotics, a subsidiary combining EasyMile, TractEasy and TLD’s driverless-vehicle activities. The business will develop, manufacture, deploy and support autonomous vehicles and software for airports and industrial sites. It follows ALVEST’s acquisition of EasyMile and brings together capabilities previously deployed through the TractEasy joint venture. Richard Reno has been appointed chief executive.

TLD Robotics supports more than 35 autonomous operations in over 10 countries, including at more than 15 airports and 20 industrial sites. Its vehicles have completed more than 50,000 autonomous missions, with several deployments operating continuously.

The company’s airport and industrial customers include dnata, Lufthansa Cargo, Munich Airport, Narita Airport, BMW Group, Daimler Truck, Bosch and John Deere. TLD Robotics will assume responsibility for business engagements and deployments previously operated under the TractEasy name.

uAvionix has launched an app intended to warn airport vehicle drivers about potential conflicts with aircraft on runways and taxiways. Surface Ops provides drivers with a live map showing nearby aircraft and vehicles. It issues visual and audible alerts when a vehicle approaches an active runway or may conflict with an aircraft.

The system uses airport surveillance data already supplied to air traffic control towers. It is designed to give drivers working in restricted airside areas access to real-time information that has traditionally been available mainly to controllers and pilots.

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, Tampa International Airport and Jackson Hole Airport tested the app in live operations for several months.

At Savannah and Jackson Hole, the app will also receive emergency notifications from the control tower. If controllers alert airport fire and rescue services about an incident, drivers using the system will be notified and shown the affected aircraft and runway.

Airports already using uAvionix’s surveillance systems can activate the service. Others would need to install compatible sensors.

Publisher’s note: The articles in this special report, compiled for inter airport Global, are a few select samples from the biweekly Momberger Airport Information newsletter, published since 1973. The newsletter is an advertising-free, global airport news service that consists of 9 modules and allows subscribers to customize their own newsletter package. The modules that make up the biweekly newsletter are: Airport Development (DEV), Calendar of Events (CAL), and the subscriber-selectable modules Airport Operations (OPS), Management, Ownership & Finance (MGT), Ground Support Equipment (GSE), Air Traffic Services (ATC), Consultant & Contractor / Sustainable Aviation (CON), Airport Information Technology (AIT), and Maintenance Base & FBO (MRO). For more information, a sample of a complete newsletter issue, and to order an annual subscription, please visit www.mombergerairport.info.

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