British Airways (BA) has invested £40m in new vehicles for Heathrow's Terminal 5 (T5), the majority of which will go into service today (27 March) for the first time. Steve Cobbold, head of engineering at VT Airside Solutions, the company responsible for specifying, managing and maintaining BA's 4,000-strong Heathrow fleet, explains that when the airport opens for business, each stand will have approximately £1m-worth of vehicles on it. And for this to happen, he, and a team of 80 people, will
have to move 650 pieces of equipment the night before. "It's going to be a long night," he says.
But Cobbold is looking forward to the switch, after all, he's been preparing for it for several years. VT's workshop is up and running and the new vehicles are in place. In total, there will be 1,500 vehicles (including trailers) in operation at T5. VT will manage and maintain them for the duration of their working lives, which in the case of most vehicles will be 10 years, on environmental grounds. "But there are exceptions," says Cobbold, who explains that airport operator BAA permits some specialist kit (vehicles with bodies that are worth at least 50% of the total cost of the vehicle) to be run for 15 years. And if they comply with specific emissions requirements, their lifespan can be extended to 20 years.
But these rules only apply to trucks that stay airside. Heathrow's perimeter roads are within London's Low Emission Zone at the request of BAA. "This has been a real
problem for older specialist kit, some of which might only cross the perimeter road," says Cobbold. Although the fleet covers very low mileage and never exceeds 30mph, the hours of operation are long and the working environment hostile. Vehicles compete for limited space under aeroplanes, with obvious results. Last year BA put three Piaggio pickups into operation on a Monday morning, and all were damaged by the Thursday. "It's almost a case of survival of the fittest out there," says Cobbold.
VT has opted for 15 Mercedes-Benz Axors, equipped with two-pedal Allison transmissions. Cobbold explains that taking away the clutch is an important safety measure, as it gives the driver one less thing to think about. He adds: "You need to be extremely precise when edging up to aeroplanes. The Allison transmission is perfect for this environment."
T5's steep gradients - found on its numerous underground roads - were problematic when it came to specifying baggage tugs. Cobbold explains that not only were the old electric tugs incapable of making the gradients, but it was the same story with new vehicles. VT asked interested parties to develop a T5-specific vehicle, and the winning manufacturer was Linde, with this Basingstoke-built electric tug. It has a 43-mile range, a 17mph top speed, a six-hour recharge and costs £33,000. BA has bought 160 of them.
This £160,000 Daf CF 460 with Dyson Pioneer bodywork, has the capability of towing vehicles weighing up to 60 tonnes, and will be used to move everything from coaches to elevator loaders. Its low height makes it ideal for manoeuvring through T5's various tunnels.
Of the £40m BA has spent on new vehicles, a sizeable chunk (£5m) has gone on 49 new FMC Elevator Loaders. These vehicles are not built for speed, and take a long time to travel to the workshop. For this reason, VT intends to carry out most servicing and repairs airside. Cobbold explains that VT had to prove to BA that measures are in place to prevent fluids or tools being left on the runway.
Eighty-five of these Terberg tractors are about to go into operation at T5. They were chosen for their ability to ascend and descend the steep gradients while pulling a pair of 9-tonne cargo dollies. The tractors are equipped with towbars, and the fifth-wheels have been replaced with 4.5 tonnes of ballast for improved traction.
Could this be the world's most expensive Mercedes-Benz Sprinter? It cost £148,000 and is one of eight going into service at T5. Of course the costly bit is the turbine on the back, which is used to start-up aeroplanes.
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