A new group aimed at transforming the UK aviation sector has been launched at the Cenex Expo 2025, with several organisations joining forces to explore “advanced” technology solutions.
Zenzic, an organisation formed by industry stakeholders and the UK Government to promote the connected and automated mobility (CAM) sector, has initiated the Airside Automation Group.
The group comprises a diverse range of organisations, including Aer Lingus, Equinix, the Civil Aviation Authority, Heathrow Airport, International Airports Group, Aurrigo, Oxa, Fusion Processing, Highlands and Islands Airports, Menzies, Swissport, UPS, and Zenzic.
This group seeks to enhance collaboration between the civil aviation and CAM sectors.
Additionally, it aims to bolster the creation of more robust and competitive supply chains, thereby facilitating further innovation throughout the industry.
Zenzic programme director Mark Cracknell said: “The CAM sector contributes billions of pounds to the UK economy annually and with the Government harbouring ambitions to increase this to over £42bn by 2035, we see further growth in the aviation market as being key to realising this potential.”
The UK is said to emerge as a key player in the development and implementation of CAM solutions within aviation.
Companies such as Aurrigo and Oxa are already making strides in this area, deploying vehicles and technologies at airports worldwide.
Aurrigo, based in Coventry, has recently tested its automated baggage handling vehicles at Singapore’s Changi Airport.
The firm has received recommendations for its Auto-Dolly Tug and Auto-Sim solutions from a network of 60 airports following successful trials at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
Oxa, a spin-out from the University of Oxford, is collaborating with DHL to investigate how autonomous vehicles can enhance airport logistics and efficiency.
Trials of Oxa's technology are currently taking place at Heathrow Airport.
Additionally, Fusion Processing is advancing CAM technologies in airports through its partnership with Construct Invest, focusing on the deployment of autonomous bus services.
Aurrigo non-executive chair Andrew Cornish said: “I am proud to Chair the newly established Airside Automation Group and to see Aurrigo among its founding members.
“For more than a decade, we have been pioneering autonomous aviation solutions made in Coventry and deployed in airports from Singapore to Amsterdam and Cincinnati.”
