The trials are part of the ALBATROSS project, an initiative subsidised by the European Commission to reduce fuel consumption and cut CO2, NOx and ultra fine particulate matter emissions by towing aircraft with their engines switched off.
A hybrid-powered taxibot drove a KLM Boeing 737-700 from Schiphol central to a platform near the Zwaneburg Runway with the aircraft’s engines switched off, and small-scale trials will be carried out using pushbacks and towing empty aircraft.
Maarten Stienen, COO of KLM, said: “It’s important for sustainability to form part of everything we do at KLM, be it in the cockpit or cabin, or on the ground. We expect sustainable taxiing to reduce fuel consumption during taxiing by between 50% and 85%. Such trials are very important because they enable us to better determine how we can integrate sustainable taxiing in our daily operations.”
Trials to and from the Polder Runway are the next step with studies, simulations and tests to be carried out over the next 18 months with the aim of sustainable taxiing to and from runways including Polder from mid-2024.