02 Nov 2007 04:11:26
BA orders eco-friendly tugs and planes
British Airways is to use environmentally-friendly electric luggage vehicles at Heathrow from next year.
When the British flag-carrier moves its Heathrow operation to the new Terminal 5 next year, it will introduce new baggage tugs that it says will keep emissions down.
Spokesman Colin Mcwilliam explained: "Replacing our existing fleet of baggage tugs was a real challenge as we needed to find a model with enough power to navigate up some of the steeper gradients in Terminal 5 while pulling up to three or four tonnes of baggage behind but at the same time keep our vehicle emissions as low as possible."
The vehicles that met the brief were designed by Linde Material Handling.
"We are delighted that Linde were able to provide the answer with a powerful yet environmentally-friendly model which has been modified for our own operational requirements," Mr Mcwilliam continued.
BA has also put in an order for 36 new long-haul planes - Airbus A380 superjumbos and Boeing 787s.
"These aircraft set the gold standard when it comes to environmental performance in CO2 emissions," said chief executive Willie Walsh.
"They will contribute significantly to our target of improving fuel efficiency by 25 per cent between 2005 and 2025."
