The first production TaxiBot aircraft tow-tractor- a narrowbody version- arrived by road at Frankfurt Main Airport on June 7.

The vehicle, delivered to Lufthansa Leos, the ground-handling arm of Germany’s national airline, is a hybrid diesel-electric, towbarless tow-tractor aimed at delivering a giant leap in fuel economy.

The semi-robotic TaxiBot design has been under development for more than three years by the Israel Aerospace Industries(IAI), TLD and Airbus partnership.