The airport said the first fully automated runs began in early September, marking the latest stage of a pilot launched with autonomous-driving technology company WeRide in March 2025. The two Robobus vehicles now handle their defined airside route independently, while trained personnel monitor operations from a remote cockpit and can intervene remotely if required.
The change removes the onboard safety person who had remained inside the shuttle during earlier phases. At Level 4, the automated driving system performs the driving task within a specified operational area without expecting an onboard human to take control. Zurich Airport describes the deployment as among the first at a European airport to operate automated shuttles without safety personnel inside the vehicle.
The vehicles, named Nimbus and Stratus, have covered more than 15,000 kilometres during the programme, according to the airport. Testing progressed in stages from manual operation and mapping to autonomous driving with a safety driver in the front seat, followed by a phase beginning in May when that person moved to the rear and could only trigger an emergency stop.
Remote supervision is now handled by staff from project partners Swissport and Krummen Kerzers, who were trained for the new role. The control centre can monitor journeys and, when necessary, send driving commands. Airport officials say the arrangement could eventually allow one operator to oversee several automated vehicles, although the current pilot remains focused on validating safety and reliability.
The shuttles run on a fixed airside route between Gate 101, near the airport’s main staff entrance and head-office area, and Gate 130, near the maintenance facilities. The route includes several stops but does not cross aircraft taxiways or serve aircraft stands, limiting interaction with some of the airport’s most complex traffic movements.
Passengers are not being carried during the initial Level 4 phase. Raphaël Glaesener, senior innovation manager at Flughafen Zürich AG, said safety remained the project’s priority and the first runs at the new automation level would therefore take place without passengers. The airport expects employees to be able to use the fully automated service after about four weeks of testing if operations proceed as planned.
Before the latest transition, airport staff with the required apron access had been permitted to use the shuttles during earlier supervised phases. The buses are designed for eight passengers in the Zurich deployment, supplementing the conventional staff shuttle service rather than replacing it during the trial.
Zurich Airport selected WeRide after a tender process conducted with support from Swiss Transit Lab. The airport said the company’s technology met its legal, safety and data-protection requirements. WeRide has deployed autonomous shuttle technology in several markets and has been expanding its Level 4 operations in Europe, including projects with Renault and other partners.
WeRide has said the Zurich service is its first European Robobus deployment to operate without an onboard safety operator. The company has been developing driverless services elsewhere in Switzerland, while Zurich Airport has kept the airside shuttle project narrow in scope. The buses follow a mapped corridor and operate under airport-specific rules, allowing the partners to gather operational data before considering broader use. The airport has said the fixed route and separation from taxiways made it suitable for introducing automated vehicles in controlled conditions.
The Zurich programme is intended to test not only vehicle performance but also operational procedures, remote supervision, staff roles and the regulatory framework needed for automated mobility in a tightly controlled airport environment. Unlike consumer driver-assistance systems, the Robobus is designed to perform the complete driving task within its approved operating domain.
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