5 Reasons Why Aircraft Towing Equipment is Necessary for Airports

Pilots and airlines rely on aircraft tugs to perform towing and pushback operations for commercial, private and military aircraft with general ease. The traction design incorporated into aircraft towing equipment means safe movement and stops, even on snow and ice. But there are even more reasons why airlines rely on airport tugs. This article will explore why aircraft towing equipment is used so extensively at large and small airports in every corner of the world. Keep reading to learn more.

1. Aircraft Engines Can Create Hazardous Conditions

Aircraft towing equipment is typically used for the towing and pushback process to avoid some of the significant hazards posed by aircraft engines. When an aircraft's engine is activated, the thrust can create a high-speed wind that can easily cause damage to the airport terminal, surrounding ground vehicles, jetway, baggage and most importantly, ground personnel.

Suppressing the use of engines is especially important when towing a large aircraft, as their more powerful thrust capabilities can become exceedingly dangerous. Engine thrust can easily send any loose items airborne, turn the tiniest grains of dust into hazardous projectiles and create debris that can cause damage to multi-million dollar engines. Additionally, aircraft engines consume a great deal of fuel and generate extreme noise that can be harmful to ground personnel. Using a pushback tug for aircraft is simply a more economical and safer option than running the engines.

2. Aircraft Towing Is Easier for Maintenance Purposes

Towing and pushback tugs for aircraft are also used to make general maintenance easier for ground personnel. When an aircraft needs to be moved to a hangar for maintenance purposes or is not required for flight, the easiest way is to send an aircraft tug to the tow-in gate for transport. Aircraft towing frees up time for the airline, maintenance team, airport ground controllers and pilots who don't need to waste time getting the engines started. It's also not cost-efficient to start aircraft engines just to reposition an aircraft for maintenance purposes. Typically, ground personnel are trained to only need the aircraft brake system when towing a large aircraft.

4. Terminal Tow-In Gates Are Confined Spaces

Another common reason aircraft towing equipment is used in airports concerns aircraft safety from the taxiway to the tow-in gate. Aircraft towing from the taxiway occurs with significant time constraints, so pilots and ground personnel are under extreme pressure to navigate the aircraft quickly and efficiently. The tight confines of the terminal tow-in gate combined with the restricted view of the pilots generally always require a tow in order to arrive safely and on time.

Even though pilots follow taxi centerlines, aircraft with very large wingspans are often faced with the challenge of having adequate clearance. If an airplane connects with another aircraft or hits a gate terminal, it can cause significant damage, huge expenses and contribute to lost time for extra maintenance repairs.

Aircraft towing can prevent contact with other structures because ground personnel have much better visibility from the airplane tug. With the aid of ground personnel walking with the wings and tail, the airport tug driver can precisely position the aircraft to ensure it will not hit a structure, vehicle, person or another aircraft. In addition to this, the airplane tug driver is in constant communication with the pilots to ensure the aircraft will brake if an emergency occurs.

5. Pushback Tugs for Aircraft Are Required For Going In Reverse

Typically, most aircraft cannot move in reverse without the help of aircraft towing equipment. Planes are not designed with a reverse option that pilots can use for backward movement, so pushback tugs for aircraft are the only option when moving aircraft into hangars or away from the terminal building. This is because aircraft are not outfitted with gears or transmission for propulsion – power for movement is derived solely from the engines through thrust. When aircraft tugs are used to tow planes, an airline can maximize safety and optimize efficiency with on-ground operations.

While most commercial airliners with jet engines have thrust-reversing capabilities, they can only be used as additional braking power during landing. In addition to the problems mentioned above associated with using aircraft engines, reverse thrust also has what is known as the lowest-speed-of-operation limit. If reverse thrust is used below the speed of 80kts, it's very likely the engines will become heavily damaged.

What Vehicles Can Tow Planes?

Aircraft towing equipment mainly consists of two types of airport tugs: conventional towbar tugs and towbarless tugs.

Conventional Airport Tugs & Towbars

The most common aircraft towing equipment types are conventional tugs and aircraft towbars. Towbars are connected to the axle of an aircraft's nose landing gear and the front or rear of the aircraft tug. Once connected, the driver can easily maneuver and tow planes from the tow-in gate out to the taxiway. The raised cabin of the airplane tug allows the driver to have a full 360-degree view to prevent any collisions or near misses – something especially vital when towing large aircraft.

Some aircraft towbars are universal, meaning aircraft ground handling personnel can use them for multiple aircraft, but the size is a factor. For example, when towing a large aircraft, you would not want to use a portable universal towbar meant for a smaller jet. The towbar wouldn't be strong enough to move the mass of the aircraft and could easily warp and break. For this reason, most airport terminals are arranged for specific aircraft to use certain tow-in gates. This helps ground personnel to have the appropriate aircraft towing equipment close at hand for quick and efficient turnarounds.