First Level 4 Autonomous Baggage Towing in Japan with EasyMile Technology
Osaka – May 5, 2025 – TractEasy, leading distributor of autonomous material handling solutions driven by EasyMile’s technology, has announced its EZTow autonomous tow tractor in the first-ever Level 4 autonomous driving operation for Ground Support Equipment (GSE) vehicles at Kansai International Airport.
The initiative aims to:
- Reduce the time between aircraft arrival and the start of baggage return
- Contribute to labour and workforce efficiency in ground handling operations
The trial is being conducted in collaboration with Peach Aviation Limited, Panasonic Holdings Corporation, NAGASE TECHNO SERVICE CO., LTD., and Kansai Airports.
It is taking place within the ramp area of Terminal 2 and marks the first time Level 4 autonomous GSE operations are being trialed at Kansai Airport. The objective is to assess the practical application of autonomous towing vehicles in a live airport environment.
- System Features: Onboard LIDAR-based detection, autonomous navigation, and remote operation fallback
- Use Area: Vehicular traffic zones and apron areas at Terminal 2
The demonstration is designed to evaluate the vehicle’s ability to detect and respond to pedestrians, stop and resume movement at crosswalks, and navigate with precision in constrained spaces such as baggage return areas. These functions are tailored to the operational demands of airport environments.
This initiative follows a remote-controlled vehicle test conducted at Kansai Airport in April 2023. The current trial advances this work by integrating higher levels of autonomy, with the aim of exploring how such technologies can support labor savings and improve operational flow in airport ground handling.
In the long term, combining autonomous and remote-controlled systems could offer flexible fleet management solutions across multiple airport sites.
Originally published by Peach Aviation here.