Abstract
In September 2023, The Office of Airports Safety and Standards (AAS) issued the FAA’s Airport Technology Research and Development Branch (ATR) a Request for Research titled: Use of Autonomous Vehicles on Airport Movement and Non-Movement Areas. Since the issuance of this Request for Research, the integration of Autonomous Ground Vehicle Systems (AGVS) at airports is moving quickly. Numerous airport sponsors and operators in the U.S. are testing/demonstrating AGVS with the intention of integrating some form of automation into their daily operations.

Therefore, AAS is focused on updating Emerging Entrants Bulletin 25-02, Testing and Demonstrating Autonomous Ground Vehicle Systems (AGVS) at Federally Obligated Airports with information, including best practices, that will assist airport sponsors/stakeholders with safely transitioning from testing/demonstrating AGVS to limited operationalization in low complexity areas.

To help support the definition of policy, AAS-200 provided a revised research request specifying that ATR’s research should prioritize and address complex AGVS operations spanning movement areas, safety areas, and higher complexity operations in non-movement areas; human factors considerations; loss of communications/control and lost link; spectrum considerations; and cybersecurity considerations.