Norse Atlantic Airways has partnered with Avinxt and their giant robot powered by green technology and artificial intelligence, to reduce costs and carbon emissions. With support from Canrig and Siemens, Avinxt is building the world’s largest robot for aircraft de-icing and more.
On Tuesday (November 21, 2023), Norse Atlantic Airways announced that they have partnered with Avinxt and their giant robot powered by green technology and artificial intelligence, to save costs and reduce carbon emissions. Supported by Canrig and Siemens, Avinxt is building the world’s largest robot that will potentially replace the current laborious de-icing, washing, engine wash and technical inspections of aircraft. According to Norse, the partnership with Avinxt has the potential of reducing their carbon footprint by as much as 4.0 percent.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Norse Atlantic Airways’ Chief Operating Officer, Thom-Arne Norheim, said,
“The solution from Avinxt is one of several initiatives that can help us reduce our carbon footprint while at the same time reducing our costs. That is a win-win. At Norse Atlantic we are always keen to explore intuitive partners and find solutions to automise and streamline our operations allowing us to be more efficient, punctual and cost-effective, particularly during winter operations.”
Also commenting on the sustainability collaboration, Avinxt’s Chairman and CEO, Ove Trøen, said,
“We are very pleased to partner with an innovative airline like Norse Atlantic Airways. Our first robots will be built at Oslo Airport, but through close collaboration with Norse, we aim to pave the way for launch at Norse’s hub at London Gatwick. There is no reason why airports, airlines, the air force and ground handlers should continue with manual, time-consuming and expensive processes, when we can do it faster, better, more environmentally friendly and more cost-effective by using new technology.”
Regular exterior aircraft and engine washing helps reduce air resistance and can result in a fuel burn reduction of up to 2.0 percent. By using cameras and AI to ‘scan’ the aircraft fuselage, Avinxt can identify any airframe damage with extreme precision in just a few hours, compared to current processes that can take up to several weeks. To meet the challenge of dealing with toxic glycol used for de-icing, Avinxt will also offer on-site chemical collection and recycling capabilities, with the ability to collect up to 80 percent of all wastewater and chemicals.
Further commenting on the recycling of de-icing chemicals and wastewater, Avinxt’s Ove Trøen added,
“Recycling of liquids on site not only reduces the cost for airlines that need to de-ice their planes before take-off, but it also adds significant environmental benefits. Our calculations show that collecting and recycling all liquids used, you can save as much as 1,800 kilos of CO2 per de-icing of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.”
After several years of testing and development followed by a preliminary project in partnership with Oslo Airport, Avinxt will start building the world’s largest robot in 2024. This robot will be able to remove snow and ice from single and twin-aisle aircraft, clean the fuselage and engines, and conduct technical airframe inspections. Avinxt has also signed a MoU with Widerøe and Norwegian Air Shuttle for washing, de-icing and technical inspections of their fleets, while Widerøe has Ground Handling has signed an agreement to operate the robot at OSL. The ground handling company Menzies has also signed a LoI with the company. Avinxt has previously received funding from the EU Innovation Council, Innovation Norway and the Research Council of Norway.
Source: Norse Atlantic Airways/Cision