Pulkovo Airport has introduced unmanned baggage delivery platforms

Petersburg Pulkovo Airport at the end of December 2024 began introducing domestic unmanned autonomous rovers for transporting passenger luggage, including oversized and luggage of people with limited mobility.

According to TASS, the project is being implemented in cooperation with Dronshab Group and is the first experience in using such platforms at Russian airports.

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Фото: Pulkovo Press Service

Leonid Sergeyev, General Director of the Northern Capital Air Gate Management Company, stressed that the introduction of automation, robotization and biometrics will increase labor productivity and improve service for passengers and airlines.

At the first stage, the robots will be controlled remotely by operators. After a training period that will take up to six months, the technique will switch to a completely autonomous mode of operation.

The ground unmanned platform "Piranha" is capable of carrying goods weighing up to 300 kg and towing groups of objects up to 500 kg. One operator can monitor several devices through the AWS interface, receiving information about routes, tasks and video flow from on-board cameras.

Robots can work without recharging for up to 8 hours at temperatures between -25 and + 40 degrees Celsius. The platforms are equipped with additional equipment: rotary cameras with thermal imaging modules, acoustic cameras, radars and gas analyzers.

In the future, robots will also perform navigation functions, helping passengers navigate the terminal. Pulkovo Airport in 2023 served 20.4 million passengers, becoming the second in terms of traffic in Russia.

The introduction of unmanned technologies is one of the directions for the development of the airport, aimed at automating processes and improving the quality of passenger service.^[1]

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