Stuttgart Airport Introduces Electric Cargo Tugs

Stuttgart Airport (IATA: STR) has moved one step closer to achieving its goal of carbon neutrality – by switching its fleet of cargo tow tractors to the battery powered Goldhofer SHERPA E.

The airport said four cargo tugs equipped with lithium-ion batteries started transporting cargo to and from the aircraft in October.

Since 2013, Stuttgart Airport has consistently electrified its handling operations, striving towards emission-free airport operations by 2050.

Dr Arina Freitag, managing director of the airport’s management company, Flughafen Stuttgart, commented: “In 2018 we first started using zero-emission battery-operated technology to handle passenger and baggage movements on the apron. We have now done the same in the cargo sector by replacing diesel-powered cargo tow tractors with the emission-free Goldhofer vehicles.”