Ground system aims to increase efficiency of aircraft taxiing manoeuvres

Funded by EPSRC, the new TRANSIT (Towards a Robust Airport Decision Support System for Intelligent Taxiing) project will see researchers and industry experts working together for three years to develop a new on-the-ground system that will reduce aeroplane taxi times, operating costs and environmental impact at airports around the world.

Airport taxiing operations have been identified as a major contributor to unnecessary fuel burn and a substantial source of pollution. TRANSIT research will have the potential to increase airport capacity, while reducing the environmental impact of the growing aviation sector.

The project is in collaboration with the Universities of Sheffield, Stirling, and Cranfield University, plus industry partners that include Rolls Royce, Air France KLM, BAE Systems, Manchester Airport and Zurich Airport.

Dr Jun Chen, an expert in artificial intelligence and control systems from the University of Lincoln’s School of Engineering and principal investigator for TRANSIT, said: “There is an imminent need to make better use of existing aviation infrastructure as air traffic is predicted to increase 1.5 times by 2035.