A UK airport will become the first in the world to have both driverless passenger and cargo vehicles in operation.
Teesside Airport has signed an agreement with Aurrigo International to trial the British company’s driverless Auto-Shuttle bus and Auto-DollyTug cargo truck.
The £1 million agreement will see Aurrigo Auto-Shuttle bus trials start in October 2025.
If the testing phase is successful, the autonomous eight-passenger vehicle could begin transporting holidaymakers to their planes in early 2026.
Start of an autonomous future
The publicly owned Teesside airport plans to add the Aurrigo Auto-DollyTug to its fleet in January 2026.
This driverless vehicle can carry one standard ULD (unit load device) for baggage and freight, and can tow multiple cargo dollies.
Earlier this year, the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) announced it will invest £2 million to create a pilot hub for testing trackless trams. The Autonomous Public Transport project forms part of a wider £1 billion TVCA transport plan.
Turning heads on Teesside
Aurrigo’s autonomous vehicles will first undertake evaluation runs on the airport’s dedicated testing area, before moving to airside operations.
The testing will also assist long-term plans to allow driverless vehicles to operate on public roads in Tees Valley town centres by the end of 2027.
Following the announcement, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said: “Teesside is turning heads once again and showing the world how it’s done. This is another massive first for our airport, our region, and our people – proving once again that where Teesside leads, the world follows.”
Teesside Airport managing director Phil Forster added: “To have this technology in place early next year will mean bags will travel from check-in to plane even more seamlessly, and in an even greener way.
“It will also help us shape how we move passengers around Teesside in the future – and will likely have an impact on the whole aviation industry”.
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