AeMSpeedport: Sustainable mobility through autonomous maneuvering of aircraft

Autonomous driving in the aviation industry will play an increasingly important role, similar to the automotive industry and public transport. The introduction of autonomous maneuvering of aircraft contributes significantly to safety on the apron and helps to avoid collisions. It also helps to eliminate airport-specific bottlenecks, for example due to a lack of loading crews and pushback trucks. The time saved through more efficient processes during the turnaround on the apron, thanks to autonomous and remote-controlled movement of aircraft and automated ground handling, is considerable. The innovative, AI-based guidance of aircraft on the taxiway optimizes taxiing times, minimizes weather-related risks and significantly increases the capacity of airports.  This increase in efficiency leads to faster handling and additional flight rotations.

The AeM Speedport project represents a significant transformation in the aviation industry. The focus is on the autonomous maneuvering of aircraft with the help of state-of-the-art sensor technology and AI-supported processes. In the future, aircraft will be able to maneuver completely autonomously on the tarmac without engine power. At the heart of the control system is an interactive control center in which all aircraft movements are controlled.

The research group of Professor Dr.-Ing. habil. Ulrich Büker plays a central role in this. Prof. Büker is contributing his many years of experience in the development of driver assistance functions and autonomous vehicles. The work focuses on the automation of the pushback operation. In AeM Speedport, assistance functions that monitor the aircraft's surroundings, detect obstacles and provide the operator with information on driving maneuvers are being developed as a preliminary stage to the fully automated process - similar to driver assistance functions in cars that support the driver. The experience gained and the data obtained in the process will then allow the transition to fully automated pushback in a further development. The work of the TH OWL follows a systematic logic of the system design of an AD system. It is important to systematically consider and analyze the specific use of an AD system in the environment of the AeM Speedport concept in order to implement the necessary solutions.

Under the direction of LNC, Paderborn/Lippstadt Airport, ADB Safegate Germany GmbH (Mannheim), TowFLEXX GmbH (Visbek), EML Speech Technology GmbH (Heidelberg), Paderborn University, Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences, Swiss IT Security Deutschland GmbH (Wiesbaden) and MovingPositions GmbH (Braunschweig) are involved in the AeM Speedport project.

Further information can be found on the project website (soon).