An unmanned electric airport tractor designed for handling goods has been tested in Germany at Stuttgart airport. The tests are managed by the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (Iml) and the operating partners Flughafen Stuttgart and Fraport, both airport management companies.

"The testing of the autonomous vehicle at Stuttgart Airport clearly demonstrates that the Digital Testbed Air Cargo directly contributes to the advancement of cargo handling at the airport. The use of autonomous vehicles can make processes more efficient and safer. This is a crucial step towards a digital and interconnected air transport chain", explained Oliver Luksic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Transport.

The cargo drone is called the Auto-Dolly Tug and was developed by the British company Aurrigo International. The Digital Testbed Air Cargo (Dtac) test involved: th movement of containers between the logistics center and the aircraft; the recognition of the aircraft lift and delivery of the goods; the static and dynamic obstacle detection; a collaborative behavior in mixed traffic with manual vehicles and pedestrians.