Electric Aircraft Tug: Revolutionizing Ground Handling Efficiency

If you’re working in an airport and find yourself having to transport planes often, you’ll know how important tugs are to the entire process. These tools allow operators to bring planes from one end of an airport to another, and, crucially, they achieve that without having to turn the plane on, saving a lot of fuel and hours of effort. If you’re looking to expand your operation, a great place to start may be to get the best aircraft tug you can for your business.

1. Cost savings

One of the biggest reasons you may want to go with an electric aircraft tug is the fact that you’ll save up a lot of money over time just because you’re not spending on fuel or other energy sources for your tug. Like with most electric machines and devices, the initial investment you make will be higher if you compare it to a traditional tug since electric tugs cost more to produce, but you’ll make this money back and then some very soon. 

In an airport operation, you will need to use every tug you have at your disposal often, so there are many opportunities to make your money back, and once you do get that return on your investment, you’ll have an excellent tool at your disposal that you bought for a low price. 

2. Environmental benefits

Electric tugs provide a ton of environmental benefits, as you may expect, which is important because airports are one of the biggest sources of emissions in the world throughout the year. Planes, especially commercial planes, use a ton of fuel for each flight, and most of the ground support equipment they need for each flight uses a lot of fuel, too, which means there’s a ton of fuel usage for each flight, all of which can be remedied or reduced if you begin to incorporate electric tools. An electric tug will have an immediate impact on your fuel usage because you’ll begin using it around the clock as soon as you get your hands on it. 

3. Performance

Another feature of electric tugs is the incredible performance they’re able to provide because they use a ton of technological advancements to produce torque and a pulling force strong enough to tug massive planes, even without a massive body or frame. This will be helpful to your operations, too, because these electric tugs are powerful enough to tug any plane you can throw at them, whether they’re major commercial planes or smaller private jets that need to be serviced, too.  

4. Choosing the right tug

Since tugs are so popular and essential in any airport, you’ll have a ton of options to choose from if you’re shopping specifically for an electric tug. In order to make things easier for yourself, you’ll have to know how to choose and differentiate between tugs, keeping an eye out for specific characteristics. 

These characteristics include the build material, which, if it’s stronger, will make the tug more durable and suitable for long-term use, and the kind of materials used in the body. If the right amount of aluminum is used, the body of the tug will be made lighter without it losing strength, which is why you should keep an eye out for a tug that incorporates that, too.  

5. Automation

This software has become a big part of managing airport operations and maintenance, too, now that many tools are equipped with automation possibilities, including electric tugs. These tugs are great for efficiency because they can be programmed and used remotely, and while this can be helpful in saving time, it’s more important because of how precisely you’re able to control the tug using software or digital tools, controlling its exact speed, angle, elevation, and more, preventing any minute chance of a mistake or accident from occurring.  

Conclusion

Finding the right aircraft tug for your business will help you boost operations and make things far more efficient, thanks to the vital role they play in aircraft transport, maintenance, and repair. Finding these tugs, however, is the main task that’ll require most of your attention since you’ll have to decide between manufacturers and how to operate and maintain them so you’re getting the best bang for your buck that you possibly can.