Overview

• Leipzig/Halle airport has begun renewed June trials of GPS-guided autonomous snowplows to evaluate performance under real-world conditions
• Berlin’s BER airport integrated one autonomous vehicle into its winter fleet in late 2024 and ordered two more for its automation program
• The snowplows have demonstrated round-the-clock operation in all weather with a safety driver onboard who has never needed to take control
• Manufacturer Aebi Schmidt anticipates fully driverless models within three to four years and has called for regulators to define liability before deployment
• Stuttgart airport has paused further testing while major hubs like Chicago’s O’Hare monitor the technology for potential use in heavy snow operations