Aviation firm Aurrigo has raised over £14 million to scale its autonomous airport technology across the world.
The transport specialist secured just under £10 million from Next Gen Mobility, with further funds provided from existing and new investors.
Aurrigo will use the financing to scale production for the seven airports it currently works with, which include Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and at Zurich Airport.
CEO David Keene told Zag Daily that being a “first mover” has made Aurrigo an attractive investment prospect.
“There is a lot of talk about autonomous technology, yet we are one of the few businesses in the world who can say that we have actual solutions on the ground, moving baggage, cargo and passengers around seven airports.”
In addition to scaling production, Aurrigo plans to build multiple show demonstrator vehicles and explore relocation to a bigger engineering and manufacturing facility in Coventry, England. It aims to increase its workforce of over 100 to meet anticipated increased volumes and new deployments.
Aurrigo, which has offices in Singapore, Ottawa and the USA, has been a prominent player in the UK autonomous aviation scene. The firm is a founding member of the newly-announced Airside Automation Group which aims to accelerate use of connected and automated mobility technologies in civil aviation.
Its ‘Auto-Cargo’ autonomous vehicle is being trialled at East Midlands Airport to carry up to 16,500 kilograms in capacity, and Aurrigo will also be operating both its autonomous passenger and baggage vehicles at Teesside International Airport in a world-first.
Across the pond, the company recently announced a major partnership with Swissport. This will see Aurrigo conduct a global pilot of autonomous ground handling technologies at Zurich Airport.
Speaking on the wider industry, David said that autonomous technologies must prove they can boost operational efficiency and passenger experience if they’re to truly decarbonise aviation.
“You can’t deliver the green benefits without the other performance metrics that make airports work.”
Aurrigo is also considering setting up an offshore manufacturing operation in the medium-term to gain entry into the South Asian and South East Asian aviation markets.
