Dubai: DWC Becomes Testbed For Airport's Self-Driving Vehicles, Hydrogen Buses

The Dubai World Central (DWC) is the testbed for the team at Dubai Airport to trial all their sustainability projects - including autonomous vehicles, hydrogen buses, and advanced ground service equipment. That is according to an expert who says that once these solutions are tested, the successful ones will be scaled and implemented.

“DWC is a slightly underutilised airport where we can test a lot of our technologies,” said Sven Deckers, Director of Sustainability at Dubai Airports.“The reality is that we will move to the new airport by the end of 2032. So, our focus is to promote DWC for the next couple of years as the testbed for innovation.”

He said that at DXB as well, several“proven and tested” sustainability projects have been implemented including solar panels, LED replacements, and AI software when it comes to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

He was speaking at a panel discussing sustainability in the aviation industry at the Climate Action, Renewable Energy and innovation (CARE) summit which began in Dubai on Wednesday. The event brings together ESG leaders, and sustainability professionals to discuss climate action, renewable energy, and corporate sustainability strategies.

Sven also added that the new DWC airport will be equipped to accommodate any potential new technologies, including electric aircrafts and the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Another speaker on the panel, Alice Spencer, Executive Director of Education at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, said that it was important for the industry to adopt a culture of sustainability.“Industry leaders must stop viewing sustainability as a compliance or cost burden,” she said.“It should not be a nice-to-have or a PR strategy. It should all be seen as a competitive advantage and essential to future-proofing aviation.”

Sven gave the example of how Dubai launched the One DXB Sustainability Alliance to unify airlines, airports, and stakeholders under one sustainability plan. He said that the alliance will help people in the ecosystem to talk to each other, test innovations at small scale and then expand across 10 or 20 years.

“We believe that is the only way to scale sustainably,” he said. The alliance is currently exploring over 180 potential decarbonisation projects.

The speakers agreed that one of the challenges was that the current infrastructure was not prepared for massive adoption of sustainable solutions. Sven explained that Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supply chain is limited and feedstock availability was a major obstacle.

However, he added that despite the challenges, SAF remained one of the most promising ways to scale sustainability in the industry because it required minimal aircraft or infrastructure changes.

Alice added that it was important for industry professionals to develop new skills, understand emerging technologies, and adopt a culture of responsibility and innovation for sustainability in the aviation to become a culture rather than a burden.

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