If you’re flying out of Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), there’s a new addition to the ground crew. Instead of a human behind the wheel, you might spot a driverless electric vehicle towing luggage to the plane.
Travel services provider dnata has just rolled out a fleet of autonomous baggage tractors at the airport as part of a major upgrade to its ground handling services.
The fleet includes six EZTow model tractors developed by TractEasy. Each vehicle is fully electric and can tow up to four baggage containers (also known as ULDs) along pre-programmed routes.
Operating at speeds of up to 15 km/h, the autonomous tractors are designed to take over one of the most time-sensitive and repetitive jobs at the airport – getting luggage from the terminal to the aircraft on time.
The system currently runs on Level 3 autonomy. That means the tractors mostly drive themselves, but still require some minimal human supervision. dnata plans to upgrade the system to Level 4 autonomy by early 2026, enabling full self-driving in controlled airport environments.
According to IATA, trials like these are underway in more than 15 countries, making DWC part of a global shift toward automation in ground support equipment (GSE).
Al Maktoum Airport is shaping up to be one of the world’s most advanced hubs. Want to know what else is happening there? Check out the top seven upcoming innovations at DWC changing the future of air travel.
