dnata, a global air and travel services provider, has announced the deployment of autonomous vehicles at Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC).

The initiative introduces next-generation technology to ramp operations. dnata now operates six electric EZTow tractors, developed by TractEasy, at the airport.

Traditionally, human drivers transported baggage between the terminal and aircraft. The new autonomous vehicles streamline the process by towing up to four baggage containers (ULDs) at once, traveling at speeds of up to 15 km/h on pre-defined routes.

This AED6 million (US$1.6 million) project starts with Level 3 autonomy, which involves limited human oversight. dnata revealed plans to upgrade to Level 4 autonomy by early 2026, enabling full self-driving capabilities in controlled environments.

As operations evolve, staff who previously drove baggage tractors will be reassigned to higher-value tasks. This is expected to support faster aircraft turnarounds and reduce the risk of human error on the ramp.

The deployment follows over a year of collaboration between dnata, TractEasy, Dubai Airports, and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The group has worked on creating a regulatory framework for autonomous vehicle operations in airside environments.

• Vehicles will operate daily, improving efficiency and safety.
• The project also serves as a testbed for wider rollout models.

dnata aims to refine autonomous ground handling approaches as DWC prepares to expand into the world’s largest airport, with a planned capacity of 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo annually.

Jaffar Dawood, Divisional Senior Vice President for UAE Airport Operations at dnata, stated that this move brings autonomous technology into daily airport operations. He emphasized the role of automation in building smarter, safer, and more resilient infrastructure.

Rich Reno, CEO of TractEasy, added that the collaboration with dnata marks a significant step forward in safe and efficient autonomous adoption in the aviation sector.

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