Airport Vehicles in India

shaggydogg · 5th September 2018, 11:04

As Indian aviation grows at lightening pace and airports across India are modernized to the highest global standards, we are starting to see a growing number of specialized airport vehicles. In the recent past, I've come across various articles detailing state-of-the-art vehicles being introduced by various airport operators (usually private) across India. Let's see if we can get a comprehensive list of all such airport appliances in India? Listing some of them below:

Emergency Evacuation Vehicle at Mumbai:

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com...le24820127.ece

Does anybody have any information about these? Manufacturer, etc?

Remote controlled aircraft taxi vehicles (TaxiBots) at Delhi airport:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi...NA6pGXTBL.html

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/comme...-taxibots.html (Delhi Airport to get TaxiBots)

Tarmac Buses in India

https://indianexpress.com/article/bu...coach-4784963/

Flyer · 5th September 2018, 13:17

Nice thread. There are different types of vehicles used in airports for specific purposes that we don't get to see regularly. Hope to see some posts about interesting and unique vehicles in this thread.

Here is an Autocar review of Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 Fire Truck used at Bengaluru International Airport.

https://youtu.be/sQ15Q6EqL3c

ChiragM · 7th September 2018, 16:58

Here are some photos of vehicles used at various airports in India.

An ACGL built TATA Starbus ULF at CIAL:

A TATA Starbus sub 11m SLF being run by Jet Airways. This looks like it is an older bus:

Image Source (TATA Motors Buses (Standard Versions))

A Cobus being used at BIAL:

A Jet Airways airport shuttle at BIAL:

Image Source (Commercial Vehicle Thread)

More pictures of the COBUS being used at BIAL:

Airport Vehicles in India-04082008010.jpg

Airport Vehicles in India-04082008013.jpg

This Ashok Leyland low floor bus is also being used at BIAL:

Airport Vehicles in India-04082008007.jpg

Airport Vehicles in India-04082008006.jpg

Image Source (Commercial Vehicle Thread)

The Rosenbauer Panther fire engine is present in some major airports in the country:

Airport Vehicles in India-picture-215.jpg

Image Source (Rosenbauer Panther - Delhi, Chennai, Cal & Mumbai Airports)

Image Source (Rosenbauer Panther - Delhi, Chennai, Cal & Mumbai Airports)

A fire engine tends to a Jet Airways plane which skidded off the runway at Goa airport in 2017:

Image Source (A trip I'd like to forget: Onboard the Jet Airways flight that skidded off a runway)

BMWs are used to ferry VIPs and VVIPs between the airport terminal and the aircraft at Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore:

Image Source (BMWs to ferry VIP passengers at the Bangalore Airport)

TejasKinger · 8th September 2018, 11:11

Quite an interesting topic here. I have spotted some of these vehicles at our airports but I didn't think about taking photographs. Interestingly, I found a few articles online on the airport vehicles of BIAL. Sharing links, photographs, and excerpts from these articles.

Airport Vehicles in India-rosenbauer.jpg

Photo courtesy: ACI

The legendary Austrian Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 Airport Crash Fire Tender.

Airport Vehicles in India-screen-shot-20180908-10.43.54-am.png

Photo courtesy: NDTV Car and Bike

Seen here are the following:

A tool van based on the Mahindra Scorpio Getaway
A 'Follow-Me' vehicle based on the Mahindra Scorpio, which guides aircraft to their parking spaces.
An Airport Surface Friction Tester based on a Ford Galaxy Estate procured from Sweden.
A Holland Tractor procured from Italy, called the Ground Master which is used to trim the lawns.
An electric buggy used for Foreign Object Detection.
A Tata 207 Pick up truck. I'm guessing the Tata could be the Road Lazer machine used to draw the centre line on the runway.

Airport Vehicles in India-screen-shot-20180908-10.55.28-am.png

Photo Courtesy: NDTV Car and Bike

A Mobile Command Post based on a Swaraj Mazda 4x4 chassis.

Airport Vehicles in India-screen-shot-20180908-11.03.54-am.png

Photo Courtesy: NDTV Car and Bike

Seen in this photo are the:

Runway sweeper based on the Mercedes Axor 4x2 Truck and
Runway Rubber Machine based on the MAN CLA 4x2 Truck.

In addition to the above, I had also spotted a Mahindra e2o plus being used by IOCL at the Chennai Airport. Had posted about this in the e2o review earlier as well.

silversteed · 8th September 2018, 15:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiragM

This Ashok Leyland low floor bus is also being used at BIAL

That's not just any low floor bus, but a purpose built, front engined, front wheel drive, airport tarmac coach - you can see that the floor height is uniform throughout the passenger saloon, unlike the other ULF/LF coaches seen in airports.

jailbird_fynix · 12th September 2018, 10:31

The Rosenbauer Panther looks so cool - like some superhero vehicle. I have never noticed one of these before - interesting thread.

Flyer · 12th September 2018, 14:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by jailbird_fynix

The Rosenbauer Panther looks so cool - like some superhero vehicle.

Yes Indeed. Remember Sentinel Prime from Transformers 3? It's no other than Rosenbauer Panther.

An astonishing fact about the vehicle – powering the fire is a 715hp, 18,000cc diesel engine!

ACFT · 12th September 2018, 17:00

The exact figures for Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 (2010 year model at Indian Airports) are:-

Engine- Caterpillar C-18, Euro 3, 6 cylinder in-line, turbocharged,
Displacement-18100cc
Rated power-526 KW (705 hp) at 2300 rpm, where engine idle speed is 700 rpm
Peak Torque- 2582 Nm at 1400 rpm

The latest batches of Rosenbauer Panther ACFTs arriving even at domestic Indian Airports (2017 year models) are installed with Volvo engines which are Euro 6 compliant where add-blue is filled in seperate tank which burns with diesel. These Volvo equipped ACFTs are more silent and smooth than the Caterpillar equiped ones.

ACFT stands for Airfield Crash Fire Tender.

Edit: The Volvo engines are Euro 5 compliant.

arjab · 12th September 2018, 20:52

The SAAB 9-5 Airport Surface Friction Tester was one of the more interesting cars used by Airports Authority of India. Its job was to test the friction coefficient of the active runways thus providing vital information on runway surfaces being fit for incoming aircraft to land.
It had a fifth wheel stowed away in a heavily modified spare wheel-well which could be lowered or retracted to check the frictional coefficient of runways.
AUTOCAR India featured it in one of their anniversary issues long , long time back.
As far as I remember the SAAB ASFT was based in New Delhi, Safdarjung Airport.

Team-Bhp has some reading on this as well:
Link:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/comme...agon-asft.html

RS90 · 13th September 2018, 11:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiragM

Here are some photos of vehicles used at various airports in India.

A Jet Airways airport shuttle at BIAL:
Attachment 1797076
Image Source (Commercial Vehicle Thread)

Old MS Baleno tail-lights???

shaggydogg · 13th September 2018, 12:31

Thank you for all the responses! I've also seen purpose built tarmac buses from an Indian coach-builder named Veera being used by Indigo Airlines at various airports. I don't have a photo of the bus in action, but here is a link to the page. These are wide-bodied, have automatic transmission (or AMT - not sure) and look futuristic.

http://www.veerabus.com/tarmac-bus.html

TejasKinger · 9th March 2024, 22:43

I was watching Superstructures -

The Making of Terminal 2 Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru

. I noticed the following Tarmac vehicles.

(screenshots from the video)

Airport Vehicles in India-screenshot-20240309-6.51.428239pm.png

Airport Vehicles in India-screenshot-20240309-6.52.558239pm.png

Airport Vehicles in India-screenshot-20240309-7.02.328239pm.png

From my own trip to the Terminal 2 at the airport, my tarmac bus was a TATA EV too!

Airport Vehicles in India-photo-feb-20-2024.jpg

I also found this on r/carsindia on Reddit - A Hyundai Creta being used as a tarmac vehicle.

Name: Screenshot 20240309 at 7.00.008239PM.png
Views: 450
Size: 439.8 KB

Name: Screenshot 20240309 at 7.00.008239PM.png
Views: 450
Size: 439.8 KB

TejasKinger · 21st March 2025, 11:07

Bengaluru Airport (Kempegowda International Airport) gets a super cool Friction Tester — the first of its kind under 'Make in India' built on a Citroen C5 Aircross

https://youtu.be/VjyxSuat_4A?si=iMGc9_jw07yK60bE

Airport Vehicles in India-screenshot-20250321-11.05.448239am.png

Airport Vehicles in India-screenshot-20250321-11.05.598239am.png

dragracer567 · 21st March 2025, 15:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by TejasKinger

[*]An Airport Surface Friction Tester based on a Ford Galaxy Estate procured from Sweden.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TejasKinger

Bengaluru Airport (Kempegowda International Airport) gets a super cool Friction Tester — the first of its kind under 'Make in India' built on a Citroen C5 Aircross

So they replaced the LHD Ford Galaxy with the Citroen which is actually available and made in India.

v12 · 21st March 2025, 19:17

The Saab 9-5 Wagon was the SFT vehicle before the Ford Galaxy. Has that also been decommissioned and sold off? I remember seeing it at Pai Automobiles in Santa Cruz, Mumbai a few months ago.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/comme...on-tester.html (Saab 9-5 Sport Wagon (Airport Friction Tester))

5th September 2018, 11:04	#1
shaggydogg BHPian Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Bangalore Posts: 25 Thanked: 29 Times	Airport Vehicles in India As Indian aviation grows at lightening pace and airports across India are modernized to the highest global standards, we are starting to see a growing number of specialized airport vehicles. In the recent past, I've come across various articles detailing state-of-the-art vehicles being introduced by various airport operators (usually private) across India. Let's see if we can get a comprehensive list of all such airport appliances in India? Listing some of them below: Emergency Evacuation Vehicle at Mumbai: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com...le24820127.ece Does anybody have any information about these? Manufacturer, etc? Remote controlled aircraft taxi vehicles (TaxiBots) at Delhi airport: https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi...NA6pGXTBL.html https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/comme...-taxibots.html (Delhi Airport to get TaxiBots) Tarmac Buses in India https://indianexpress.com/article/bu...coach-4784963/
	(10) Thanks

7th September 2018, 16:58	#3
ChiragM Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,550 Thanked: 17,876 Times	Re: Airport Vehicles in India Here are some photos of vehicles used at various airports in India. An ACGL built TATA Starbus ULF at CIAL: A TATA Starbus sub 11m SLF being run by Jet Airways. This looks like it is an older bus: Image Source (TATA Motors Buses (Standard Versions)) A Cobus being used at BIAL: A Jet Airways airport shuttle at BIAL: Image Source (Commercial Vehicle Thread) More pictures of the COBUS being used at BIAL: This Ashok Leyland low floor bus is also being used at BIAL: Image Source (Commercial Vehicle Thread) The Rosenbauer Panther fire engine is present in some major airports in the country: Image Source (Rosenbauer Panther - Delhi, Chennai, Cal & Mumbai Airports) Image Source (Rosenbauer Panther - Delhi, Chennai, Cal & Mumbai Airports) A fire engine tends to a Jet Airways plane which skidded off the runway at Goa airport in 2017: Image Source (A trip I'd like to forget: Onboard the Jet Airways flight that skidded off a runway) BMWs are used to ferry VIPs and VVIPs between the airport terminal and the aircraft at Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore: Image Source (BMWs to ferry VIP passengers at the Bangalore Airport)
	(10) Thanks

8th September 2018, 11:11	#4
TejasKinger BHPian Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Bangalore Posts: 326 Thanked: 1,479 Times	Re: Airport Vehicles in India Quite an interesting topic here. I have spotted some of these vehicles at our airports but I didn't think about taking photographs. Interestingly, I found a few articles online on the airport vehicles of BIAL. Sharing links, photographs, and excerpts from these articles. Behind the scenes: Unsung heroes of the airport - Autocar India Bangalore Airport Fire Truck Experience - NDTV Car and Bike Flying machines of Bengaluru Airport - CV India Photo courtesy: ACI The legendary Austrian Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 Airport Crash Fire Tender. Photo courtesy: NDTV Car and Bike Seen here are the following: A tool van based on the Mahindra Scorpio Getaway A 'Follow-Me' vehicle based on the Mahindra Scorpio, which guides aircraft to their parking spaces. An Airport Surface Friction Tester based on a Ford Galaxy Estate procured from Sweden. A Holland Tractor procured from Italy, called the Ground Master which is used to trim the lawns. An electric buggy used for Foreign Object Detection. A Tata 207 Pick up truck. I'm guessing the Tata could be the Road Lazer machine used to draw the centre line on the runway. Photo Courtesy: NDTV Car and Bike A Mobile Command Post based on a Swaraj Mazda 4x4 chassis. Photo Courtesy: NDTV Car and Bike Seen in this photo are the: Runway sweeper based on the Mercedes Axor 4x2 Truck and Runway Rubber Machine based on the MAN CLA 4x2 Truck. In addition to the above, I had also spotted a Mahindra e2o plus being used by IOCL at the Chennai Airport. Had posted about this in the e2o review earlier as well.
	(15) Thanks

12th September 2018, 10:31	#6
jailbird_fynix BHPian Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: (òÓ,)_\,,/ Posts: 466 Thanked: 3,085 Times	Re: Airport Vehicles in India The Rosenbauer Panther looks so cool - like some superhero vehicle. I have never noticed one of these before - interesting thread. Last edited by jailbird_fynix : 12th September 2018 at 10:51.
	() Thanks

12th September 2018, 17:00	#8
ACFT Newbie Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Venice of The East Posts: 21 Thanked: 10 Times	The exact figures for Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 (2010 year model at Indian Airports) are:- Engine- Caterpillar C-18, Euro 3, 6 cylinder in-line, turbocharged, Displacement-18100cc Rated power-526 KW (705 hp) at 2300 rpm, where engine idle speed is 700 rpm Peak Torque- 2582 Nm at 1400 rpm The latest batches of Rosenbauer Panther ACFTs arriving even at domestic Indian Airports (2017 year models) are installed with Volvo engines which are Euro 6 compliant where add-blue is filled in seperate tank which burns with diesel. These Volvo equipped ACFTs are more silent and smooth than the Caterpillar equiped ones. ACFT stands for Airfield Crash Fire Tender. Edit: The Volvo engines are Euro 5 compliant. Last edited by Jaggu : 12th September 2018 at 18:46.
	(2) Thanks

12th September 2018, 20:52	#9
arjab Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: MAA/CCU Posts: 1,596 Thanked: 6,569 Times View My Garage	Re: Airport Vehicles in India The SAAB 9-5 Airport Surface Friction Tester was one of the more interesting cars used by Airports Authority of India. Its job was to test the friction coefficient of the active runways thus providing vital information on runway surfaces being fit for incoming aircraft to land. It had a fifth wheel stowed away in a heavily modified spare wheel-well which could be lowered or retracted to check the frictional coefficient of runways. AUTOCAR India featured it in one of their anniversary issues long , long time back. As far as I remember the SAAB ASFT was based in New Delhi, Safdarjung Airport. Team-Bhp has some reading on this as well: Link: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/comme...agon-asft.html
	() Thanks

13th September 2018, 12:31	#11
shaggydogg BHPian Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Bangalore Posts: 25 Thanked: 29 Times	Re: Airport Vehicles in India Thank you for all the responses! I've also seen purpose built tarmac buses from an Indian coach-builder named Veera being used by Indigo Airlines at various airports. I don't have a photo of the bus in action, but here is a link to the page. These are wide-bodied, have automatic transmission (or AMT - not sure) and look futuristic. http://www.veerabus.com/tarmac-bus.html
	() Thanks

21st March 2025, 19:17	#15
v12 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,773 Thanked: 7,567 Times View My Garage	Re: Airport Vehicles in India The Saab 9-5 Wagon was the SFT vehicle before the Ford Galaxy. Has that also been decommissioned and sold off? I remember seeing it at Pai Automobiles in Santa Cruz, Mumbai a few months ago. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/comme...on-tester.html (Saab 9-5 Sport Wagon (Airport Friction Tester))
	() Thanks