As part of on-going research and development into future technology options, Airbus on Wednesday announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with EGTS International, a joint venture company between Safran and Honeywell Aerospace, to develop and evaluate an autonomous electric pushback and taxiing solution for the A-320 family.
According to the statement issued here, the agreement marks the selection of EGTS International’s Electric Green Taxiing System to be evaluated as a new option on the A-320 family -- referred to by Airbus as eTaxi. This option would allow the aircraft to push-back from the gate without a tug, taxi-out to the runway, and return to the gate after landing without operating the main engines.
Olivier Savin, EGTS programme vice president of Safran said: “through this agreement we are creating the ideal context to collaborate to best utilise our own landing gear systems expertise to develop a green taxiing solution for the A-320 family.”
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Brian Wenig, EGTS Programme vice-president, Honeywell Aerospace said this MoU marks the next critical milestone in the advancement of the Electric Green Taxiing System as an option for Airbus’ A-320 family, by securing Airbus’ support in the development of the system.
The eTaxi option will offer several operational and environmental benefits for the A-320 family including per trip, the projected fuel savings and CO2 reductions would be approximately four percent; it would contribute to significantly more efficient taxiing operations and save around two minutes of time on pushback; taxiing-related carbon and nitrous oxide emissions would be cut by more than half.
The statement said to regularly enhance the A-320 family’s capabilities and performance, Airbus invests approximately 300 million euros annually in keeping the aircraft highly competitive and efficient. More than 10,000 aircraft have been ordered and over 5,800 delivered to operators worldwide.
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