Zurich Airport tests autonomous electric shuttles
Two fully automated electric shuttles without drivers or security personnel are operating on the grounds of Zurich Airport. The minibuses are monitored from a control center. This makes Zurich one of the first airports in Europe to test automated driving at this level.
Image: Flughafen Zürich
In a statement, Zurich Airport announced that it has been preparing the project with the Chinese company WeRide since March 2025. The first fully automated trips took place in early September. The vehicles deployed as part of the pilot serve as employee shuttles and operate on a defined route. Aircraft taxiways are not crossed during these trips.
According to the initiators, the vehicles handle the journey independently. However, employees from the partner companies Swissport and Krummen Kerzers monitor operations from a remote cockpit and can intervene if needed. “The former safety drivers have been trained for this new role and will accompany operations remotely going forward,” the statement reads.
To test at this level, comprehensive regulatory, safety, and technical requirements had to be met in advance. The current step now corresponds to the targeted automation level, Level 4, the officials emphasise.
Coralie Klaus Boecker, Head of the ZRH Innovation Hub at Flughafen Zürich AG, commented: “We are very pleased with this achievement. The gradual automation of vehicles can make an important contribution for airports given the emerging shortage of skilled workers. For us, it was therefore essential to lay the necessary groundwork early on. In doing so, we are creating the conditions, not only for ourselves but also for our partners, for the safe deployment of automated vehicles at the airport.”
Raphaël Glaesener, Senior Innovation Manager at Flughafen Zürich AG, added:
“Automated driving does not mean that people disappear. But the tasks change. Operations will also become more efficient, because in the future one employee will be able to monitor several buses.”
The operation of the two shuttle buses is initially set to run until the end of 2026; however, it is stated that an extension of the innovation project with the two vehicles is currently being reviewed by the project partners. Regardless, the insights gained from the pilot project will form the basis for the future use of additional automated vehicles at Zurich Airport.