BACKGROUND

Airport operators are increasingly considering the use of autonomous ground vehicle systems (AGVS) in non-movement areas to enhance operational efficiency and safety. Various pilot programs have highlighted both the advantages and safety challenges associated with AGVS integration. Key issues include risks of collisions, potential system failures, and the interactions between AGVS, airport personnel, and traditional operations.

The aviation community recognizes safety management systems (SMS) as a best practice because they offer a structured and repeatable approach to identifying hazards and mitigating safety risks. For successful and safe implementation of AGVS, research is needed to help airport operators develop guidelines on conducting a safety risk assessment, for specific autonomous vehicle use cases, in the non-movement area.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to develop a guide to help airport operators prepare and conduct a safety risk assessment for specific autonomous vehicle use cases in the non-movement area. At a minimum, the use cases will include:

• Cargo and baggage movement,
• Snow and deicing operations,
• Security,
• Landscape maintenance,
• Maneuvering aircraft,
• People movers,
• Aircraft parking guidance, and
• Foreign object debris.

A minimum, the guide should be:

• Consistent with the five-step safety risk management (SRM) process;
• Applicable to airports of all sizes and activity levels; and
• Applicable for all weather, seasons, terrains, and times of day.

RESEARCH PLAN

The research plan shall include, at a minimum, the following appropriate interim deliverables for ACRP review and approval:

• A literature review and gap analysis;
• A data collection plan (including data sources, methods, airports, roles, and stakeholders, including aircraft operators, airport practitioners, fixed-based operators, and suppliers);
• Proposed use cases and rationale; and
• An interim report that includes research results to date, an analysis of those results, next steps, an annotated outline for the guide, a use case example, and potential follow-on research ideas to be developed into problem statements.

The research plan shall also include, at a minimum, the following checkpoints with the ACRP panel:

• A kick-off web meeting to be held within 1 month of the Notice to Proceed,
• A web meeting to review the literature review and gap analysis and approve the data collection plan,
• A web meeting to review the use cases, and
• One face-to-face interim deliverable review meeting and web-enabled teleconferences tied to the panel review and ACRP approval of other interim deliverables deemed appropriate.

The final deliverables will include:

• The guide;
• The Research Team's Final Report documenting all research steps, results, and analysis;
• The Summary of Key Findings;
• The Further Recommended Research Memo; and
• A technical memo titled Implementation of Research Findings and Products. 

STATUS: Proposals have been received in response to the RFP. The project panel will meet to select a contractor to perform the work.