British Airways to use self-driving robot baggage carriers at Gatwick Airport to help with staff shortages

British Airways and its parent company has announced it will use self-driving robot baggage carriers at a UK airport for the first time. The self-driving baggage robots called 'Auto-DollyTug' will pick up suitcases from the terminal building and ferry them across the tarmac in closed containers to awaiting aircraft at Gatwick Airport later this year. 

BA has previously tested the vehicles at Heathrow Airport but they will now enter full-time service for the first time. Only one is expected to be deployed at Gatwick to begin with but the number could rise if the trial is successful.

The pioneering machines have been developed by a firm called Aurrigo, based in Coventry, which has a wide range of autonomous vehicles including buses and shuttles. Aurrigo has been testing its fleet at Changi Airport in Singapore since the pandemic. 

Some come equipped with robot arms that can load and unload containers of baggage themselves. The tugs range in cost from about £100,000 to £250,000 each.

David Keene, Aurrigo's CEO and co-founder, told the Telegraph: “First of all, you might have a long wait. Secondly, your bag might not have made it – and that really dents the customer experience.

“Everyone tends to blame the airline, because that's who you're flying with, but it's not actually the airlines handling the bags in a lot of cases. So taking that back and being able to own the customer experience is a really important part of it.”

To get around Gatwick, Aurrigo will use a 3D 'digital twin' of the airport that's built into its software. This allows each robot to learn routes and navigate potential hazards.

It also uses 360° cameras and LiDAR – a sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure distances of objects. Aurrigo expects the Auto-DollyTugs to tackle staff shortages that have plagued the airline industry and led to delayed flights, cancellations, long queues and soaring ticket prices.