Global Taxibot Market Size, Share, Trends, Forecast 2020-2027 and COVID-19 Impact Analysis on Business, Industry, Revenue and Actionable Insights

TaxiBot is a semi-autonomous vehicle that allows the taxiing of aircraft without the engine running, controlled by the pilot, and without reducing the lifespan of nose landing gear (NLG). TaxiBots are designed by Israel Aerospace Industries and manufactured by TLD of France.

Taxibot is a great alternative to aircraft taxiing at airports as it consumes 85% less fuel, reduces CO2 emission upto 85%, and reduces excessive noise upto 60%, without compromising airport safety and efficiency. It can save airlines billions of dollars in fuel costs and a 50% reduction of FOD damage per takeoff.

The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to record the highest growth rate during the forecast period. India is the major contributor to this growth. TLD and IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) signed an agreement with KSU of India for the operations of taxiBot vehicles at New Delhi and Mumbai airports. The Indian aviation market is experiencing explosive growth in both air and passenger traffic (+ 20% annually for the last three years). For instance, Mumbai and New Delhi airports are adopting innovative technologies such as taxiBots that will reduce operational cost, improve efficiency, and is environment friendly. Furthermore, Europe is also adopting taxibots. For instance, Germany's Frankfurt deployed taxibot for taxiing aircraft.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental impact on the aviation industry. The nationwide government implemented lockdowns and travel restrictions were the primary reasons for the temporary downfall of the aviation industry. However, due to travel restrictions and no flights on movement, it provided an opportunity to different research institutes to test new technologies such as taxibot on the airport.

Also, taxibot is a sustainable efficiency enhancer for the aviation industry, airline partners are more willing to explore it and its implementation as a tool to reduce their operating costs.

The Global Taxibot Market has been segmented based on different types. In order to provide a holistic view on the market current and future market demand has been included in the report. The Global Taxibot Market Report is segmented by:
By Type
• Narrow body
• Wide Body

The rise in airport construction worldwide is anticipated to boost the taxibot market in the upcoming years. Moreover, the implementation of taxibot offers the aviation industry an annual savings potential of USD 7 billion and reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 18 million tons.

Taxibot reduces the stress on the nose landing gear (NLG). Non-TaxiBot operations take longer in the platform area due to several ongoing activities (including pushback, forward pull, engine start, and stabilization) whereas, taxibot offers a clear saving of ~4-5 minutes per departure taxiing. Further to this taxiBoting had also assisted in faster clearing of Apron Area, thereby allowing the next incoming aircraft to be positioned faster without holding.

Competitive Landscape
Aircraft companies are investing in taxibot sytems. For instance, Airbus has recently joined the taxiBot program as an active partner as well as Lufthansa LEOS that has been a long-time supporter of the project.

Market key trends
• Taxibot enables higher taxi speed than traditional tow bar vehicles. Taxibot set a new world record in 2014 with an A320 aircraft. While taxiing, the taxibot reached a top speed of 23 knots.
• Taxibots can help airlines achieve enhanced on-time performance and reduce operational costs.
Recent Developments
• In October 2021, AirAsia India announced the implementation of an alternative taxiing solution, taxiBot, which according to the company, will promote sustainability and optimize efficiency in flight operations. The airline has partnered with KSU Aviation, the exclusive operator of taxiBot in India.
• In May 2021, India's one of the busiest airports at GMR Group-run, Indira Gandhi International (IGIA), Delhi announced that it has operated 1,000 taxiBot aided flights since introducing fuel and CO2 saving devices at its facilities, which helped various airlines to save 214,000 liters of jet fuel, in addition to reducing around 532 tons of CO2 emissions.
• In 2019, Air India became the first global airline to use a taxiBot to tow an Airbus A-320 commercial flight with passengers on board.