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At Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, something quiet is taking place. Four easyJet Airbus A320neo aircraft are being prepared for a new etaxi solution. Today, the airline and the airport officially launched Europe’s first full-scale electric TaxiBot operation for Airbus aircraft.
It appears the etaxi industry is running faster than it seemed even a few weeks ago.
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For decades, the ritual has been the same: pushback tug, engines roar to life, and the aircraft burns hundreds of kilograms of fuel while crawling toward the runway. At Schiphol, with its infamously long taxi routes — sometimes exceeding 20 minutes to the Polderbaan — those engines work harder than most passengers realize.
Enter the TaxiBot: a sleek, battery-powered robotic tug that tows the aircraft with its main engines switched off. This is not the earlier diesel-power version. The pilot stays in full control, steering from the cockpit as usual, while the electric vehicle handles the heavy tugging. Only when lined up for takeoff do the aircraft’s engines finally start.
easyJet has equipped four of its Schiphol-based aircraft with the necessary modifications. One is already operational, with the remaining three being fitted this month. Each flight using the system is expected to save approximately 95 kilograms of fuel and 299 kilograms of CO? — figures that multiply quickly across hundreds of daily movements.
“This is a game-changer for us,” according to an easyJet spokesperson. “Schiphol is one of our most important bases in Europe. By embracing this technology, we’re reducing our environmental footprint where it matters most — on the ground.”
The project represents years of collaboration between easyJet, Schiphol, Airbus, Menzies Aviation, and Israeli company Smart Airport Systems, the creators of TaxiBot. Earlier hybrid versions were trialed at the airport as far back as 2020, but today’s rollout marks the arrival of the fully electric GEN 2 model — silent, zero-local-emission, and aligned with Schiphol’s ambitious target of becoming an emissions-free airport by 2030.
For frequent flyers, the change will be subtle but noticeable. Less engine noise on the apron. Slightly smoother ground movement. And, perhaps, some satisfaction of knowing their flight started with a significantly smaller carbon footprint.
The timing is significant. easyJet has faced criticism over high airport charges and Dutch aviation taxes, leading to reduced frequencies at Schiphol earlier this year. This partnership demonstrates the airline’s continued commitment to the Dutch market while investing in meaningful sustainability measures rather than greenwashing.
Aviation remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize, with ground operations often overlooked in favor of headline-grabbing sustainable aviation fuel announcements. TaxiBot offers a practical, immediately deployable solution. If scaled successfully, Schiphol studies suggest potential reductions of up to 65% in taxiing fuel consumption across the airport.
As each of the four equipped easyJet aircraft taxies out today, its engines silent and the electric TaxiBot humming beneath it, it carries more than passengers. It carries a small but important signal — that even the most routine parts of flying can be reinvented.
In an industry often accused of moving too slowly on climate action, today at Schiphol, progress is rolling forward on electric wheels.
Schiphol’s 2030 Goals
Schiphol handles ~50+ million passengers annually and is a major European hub. Achieving zero-emission ground operations would set a strong precedent, especially as part of broader European efforts (many airports target net-zero by 2050, but Schiphol is among the more aggressive for 2030).
Rather than see this as an outlier, one might consider this move to be the kind of impetus the industry needs to move forward by deploying real technologies today tom impact carbon emissions. Other etaxi solutions are making progress at various paces. The TaxiBot move is the kind of spur these others need to prove that the need exists and the benefits are real.
The current high fuel price acts as additional boost.
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