Panus Assembly, owner of the Bliss-Fox brand of ground support equipment (GSE), is introducing a line of all-electric pushback tractors, following the launch of the green F1-340E in 2018.
The company recently launched its latest aircraft tug, the fully electric, 40-tonne F1-340E pushback tractor. The new vehicle has been in development for two years for customer testing since the last quarter of 2018, following its showcase at the GSE Expo in Las Vegas, in October.
Potential launch customers for the Bliss-Fox F1-340E include Thai Airways and Bangkok Flight Services Thailand, offering full passenger, ramp, and cargo handling services, at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, for all types of aircraft from private charters to full service mainline carriers.
Simone Livraghi, senior sales and marketing manager at Panus Assembly, said potential users will conduct at least 1,000 hours of operational testing to verify that all-electric pushbacks have improved durability and reliability over diesel-powered pushbacks. He added that they will buy initial production units if these evaluations prove successful.
Bliss-Fox is introducing all-electric variants of the 28-tonne F1-300 and 15-tonne F1-150 all-electric tractor. The F1-300 handles pushback and extended towing of aircraft up to 360 tonnes, while the smaller F1-150 is designed for operations with 100 to 150 tonne narrowbodies. Development of these vehicles began in 2018.
The lithium battery-powered F1-340E reflects how the GSE business is changing, said Livraghi. “Airports are pushing for green technology as governments tighten emissions regulations,” he added.
According to Livraghi, the all-electric F1-300 will be available in February 2019 and F1-150 in April. He added that the vehicles have already generated customer interest in a competitive market segment.
