Karsan has tested its autonomous technology in aviation. Following a two-week demo at Frankfurt Airport in recent months that demonstrated the operational capabilities of the Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK, the company has now conducted a demo operation at IGA Istanbul Airport in collaboration with Turkish Airlines.
The tests were designed around two different operational scenarios as explained by the Turkish manufacturer. The first scenario simulated transporting shift crews to their work areas, while the second simulated moving flight crews to aircraft parking positions. Muzaffer Arpacıoğlu, Deputy General Manager of Domestic Sales and External Relations at Karsan says: “We view this successful demonstration as a strategic step in showing that autonomous technology can be applied not only in public transportation but also in various operational use cases.” The test was done in collaboration with Karsans technology partner ADASTEC and Turkish Airlines. The Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK was tested under real operational conditions on the apron along an 11-kilometre route. The demo runs were designed around two different scenarios. In the first scenario, the vehicle travelled from the starting point at the Turkish Airlines Operations Center – Crew Terminal to the 200 Series Open Parking Area.
These scenarios simulated the transportation of shift crews to their work areas and flight crews to their aircraft parking positions. Atalay Taşkoparan, Co-Founder and CCO of ADASTEC, stating: “IGA is the busiest airport in the European Union. Here, using the Karsan Autonomous e-ATAK equipped with ADASTEC’s autonomous driving technology, we implemented a personnel transport scenario under real traffic conditions. The scenario focused on the transportation need between the terminal building and the aircraft. The autonomous vehicle’s performance in a real-world traffic environment was projected to offer a viable solution that meets operational efficiency and safety expectations for crew transportation on the apron." Karsan proudly states that its Level 4 autonomous bus has in various projects in Europe, over 160,000 kilometres of autonomous driving experience, transported more than 60,000 passengers with a success rate of 99.5%.