Autonomous Airside Bus Operations: A Case Study at Cluj-Napoca International Airport
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Autonomous vehicle technologies are increasingly considered for improving the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of ground transportation systems, including safety-critical airport airside operations. Previous studies have highlighted the potential of automated shuttles and buses in controlled mobility contexts, while emphasizing the need for real-world validation in infrastructure-dense airport environments. This paper presents a case study on the deployment and testing of an autonomous electric bus on the airside of Cluj-Napoca International Airport. The demonstrator vehicle was a Karsan e-ATAK electric bus equipped with SAE Level-4 autonomous driving capabilities provided by ADASTEC. The implementation methodology comprised environmental scanning, grid-based airside mapping using LiDAR point clouds, generation of georeferenced semantic layers, multi-sensor calibration and fusion (LiDAR, GNSS/IMU, cameras), and configuration of autonomous driving and supervision functions adapted to airport constraints. A structured set of traffic and operational test scenarios was developed and executed, based on a clearly defined airside ODD and safety validation framework, including interactions with ground support equipment, service vehicles, airport personnel, and static and dynamic obstacles. The results indicate robust localization against the LiDAR-based HD map, reliable perception and obstacle classification, and consistent trajectory tracking and speed regulation across all tested scenarios, with no safety-critical incidents recorded. Fail-safe strategies, including controlled deceleration and safe-stop maneuvers, were validated under both nominal and disturbed operating conditions. The study concludes that autonomous electric buses can be safely and effectively integrated into airport airside operations, provided that thorough mapping, scenario-based testing, and coordination with airport procedures are ensured. The findings contribute empirical evidence to the limited literature on autonomous airside transport and support the adoption of zero-emission automated mobility solutions in airport environments.
