SpiceJet Goes Green: Airline Operates Its First Fuel Saving Taxibot At Delhi Airport

SpiceJet operated India’s first Taxibot on Monday at Terminal 2 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, The New Indian Express has reported.

Taxibot is a pilot-controlled semi-robotic towing tractor. Its operations are unique as it lifts and holds the aircraft’s nose wheel, enabling the pilot to transport the plane onto the runway without using the plane’s engines.

A Boeing 737 model, SpiceJet flight SG 8171 was towed by a TaxiBot from the jet bridge to the runway before it departed from Terminal 2 at noon on its Delhi-Goa route. This project is part of Spicejet’s ongoing efforts to go green.

This saves up to 85 per cent of the fuel consumption during taxiing, apart from considerable reduction in noise. Chairman and Managing Director of SpiceJet Ajay Singh and Civil Aviation Secretary R.N.Choubey flagged off the plane.

Even before this, SpiceJet had taken many green initiatives. They conducted India’s first ever Bio-Jet-fuel-powered flight, which reduces the carbon footprint by 15 per cent. Other efforts include solar power projects, plantation drives and distribution of seed cards, and installing rooftop solar panels in Majuli to provide the village clean power.