The test vehicle. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

Hangzhou International Airport completed its first driverless cargo vehicle test run on March 13, marking the first deployment of apron autonomous vehicles in East China.

Two unmanned cargo tractors, each carrying eight metric tons of goods, traveled four kilometers along a designated route and parked precisely at their target locations.

The autonomous vehicles are equipped with five laser radar sensors, differential global positioning systems and seven cameras, enabling centimeter-level precision positioning. Moving at 15 kilometers per hour, they automatically detect and respond to obstacles – slowing or stopping when encountering pedestrians and resuming movement once the path is clear.

One of the key challenges was navigating a 700-meter-long tunnel on the apron, where weak signals and complex road structures posed difficulties. To address this, the airport incorporated semantic positioning technology, which enhances environmental awareness beyond traditional geometric positioning. The system intelligently detects aircraft positions, coordinates multi-vehicle operations, and ensures safe, accurate docking.

Since December 2024, the two autonomous vehicles have undergone over 1,500 km of real-world testing under various weather conditions, including rain, fog and icy roads. The trials have reduced manual operation risks by over 90 percent, with a 20-percent increase in transport efficiency and 15-percent lower operational costs – while achieving 100-percent accuracy.

Hangzhou International Airport is among the first in China to introduce autonomous vehicles under the Civil Aviation Administration's roadmap for unmanned airport operations. Moving forward, the airport plans to increase cargo loads and optimize efficiency, with full-scale deployment expected by early 2026, supporting over 20 flights daily.

The vehicle is loaded and ready for a test run. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]