Changi Airport deploys autonomous tractors in major step towards airside automation

Credit: Changi Airport Group

Changi Airport Group (CAG) has deployed its first fleet of fully driverless autonomous tractors in live airside operations at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), marking a major milestone in the airport’s automation and innovation journey.

Following nearly a year of trials involving more than 5,000 test trips, two autonomous tractors are now transporting passenger baggage between the baggage handling areas of Terminal 1 and Terminal 4. The launch, officiated by Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Minister of State for Transport, highlights Singapore’s continued commitment to pioneering smart airport technologies.

Each autonomous tractor is equipped with more than 10 sensors and cameras that enable safe navigation in the complex airside environment, operating reliably during daytime, nighttime and adverse weather conditions. The vehicles are monitored in real time from a dedicated control centre, where remote operators can intervene immediately should human assistance be required.

The deployment represents a significant step forward in Changi Airport’s “airside of the future” vision, enhancing safety, reliability and manpower productivity. By removing the need for drivers, airside workers are freed from routine driving tasks and can instead focus on last mile operations, which remain more challenging to automate.

Later this year, another six autonomous tractors will be deployed along a different route between Terminal 2’s baggage handling area and aircraft stands as part of a collaboration between CAG and SATS. By 2027, the autonomous tractor fleet is expected to expand to 24 vehicles. Future deployments will also see the tractors used to tow cargo and airside equipment, in addition to baggage.

The project is co-funded by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and forms part of Changi Airport’s wider innovation strategy. This includes the use of artificial intelligence in initiatives such as “Aircraft 360”, as well as automation and robotics to improve operational efficiency and workforce productivity.

To ensure safe integration with human-driven vehicles and personnel, dedicated autonomous vehicle zones have been marked across the airside, and all autonomous tractors carry clear identification labels.

Ms Liu Yanling, CAG’s Senior Vice President for Airport Operations Strategy and Transformation, said: “The operationalisation of our autonomous tractors represents a huge step forward as we move towards our vision of the airside of the future. By redesigning work processes and infrastructure, we are creating a future-proofed environment where autonomous vehicles and human workers operate seamlessly.”

Ms Angela Ng, Director of Aviation Industry at CAAS, noted that up to 30% of Singapore’s aviation workforce could experience job redesign over the next five years. “The scaled deployment of autonomous tractors allows stakeholders to develop new systems and job transformation programmes, helping workers transition to higher-value roles,” she said.

Mr Kuah Boon Kiam, Senior Vice President of SATS Apron Services, added that the initiative supports SATS’ Hub Handler of the Future programme, improving safety, turnaround efficiency and service quality, while delivering more reliable baggage handling and on-time departures for passengers.