Auve Tech’s MiCa autonomous electric shuttle is operating at Tallinn Airport without an onboard safety operator, using remote supervision instead. In cooperation with Magnetic MRO, the eight-passenger vehicle transports maintenance personnel, tools and equipment between hangars on the airport’s operational airside area, including routes near parked aircraft.
Auve Tech received authorization to remove the onboard safety operator in August 2026. The change was demonstrated publicly in October, following testing that began with Magnetic MRO at Tallinn Airport in 2023. Commercial operations started in 2025 with a safety operator initially present onboard.
MiCa uses cameras and lidar sensors to navigate predefined routes rather than moving freely across the airport. A remote control centre monitors the shuttle and can intervene when required. The arrangement allows one supervisor to oversee multiple vehicles, potentially reducing staffing requirements as the service expands.
The deployment is described by Auve Tech as Europe’s first commercial autonomous passenger service at an airport without an onboard safety operator. The current operation serves airport and aviation-maintenance personnel rather than the general public. Its use in a live airside environment alongside airport vehicles and parked aircraft distinguishes it from autonomous-shuttle trials conducted only in controlled areas.