Estonia: autonomous airport shuttles move to driverless operation

Estonian autonomous vehicle developer Auve Tech and aircraft maintenance company Magnetic MRO have moved their shuttle service at Tallinn Airport to operations without a safety operator inside the vehicle.

The companies demonstrated the new operating mode on 7 October. The autonomous MiCa shuttles transport Magnetic MRO employees and equipment between hangars within the airport’s controlled operational area. The service is not a public passenger route.

Commercial operations began in 2025. According to the companies, the vehicles now cover around 1,000 kilometres per week, with 99.9% of the distance driven autonomously. The vehicles are monitored remotely, allowing one operator to supervise several shuttles.

Auve Tech describes the MiCa as an eight-seat Level 4 electric autonomous shuttle. Permission for operations without an onboard safety operator was received in August.

The companies call the service the first of its kind in Europe. The claim has not been independently verified.

Source: Auve Tech, Magnetic Group