Estonian autonomous vehicle developer Auve Tech has begun operating its MiCa passenger shuttle at Tallinn Airport without an onboard safety operator, following regulatory authorisation in August 2026.
The service is the first of its kind in Europe, allowing an autonomous passenger vehicle to operate at an airport under remote supervision. The system is already used by aviation maintenance company Magnetic MRO to transport employees and equipment between its facilities. Through this operation, the shuttles cover approximately 1,000 kilometres per week.
A demonstration took place at Tallinn Airport on 7 October 2026, with representatives from government, aviation, industry and the media in attendance.
Auve Tech’s MiCa is an eight-passenger electric shuttle designed to transport people and goods in airports, industrial sites and urban environments. The Level 4 autonomous vehicle uses cameras and LiDAR sensors to navigate its surroundings and can be monitored by a remote supervision centre.
The vehicles reportedly achieve an average autonomy rate of 99.9%. Auve Tech has not specified the precise methodology used to calculate this figure. Removing the onboard safety operator allows a remote supervisor to oversee multiple vehicles and intervene when necessary, rather than assigning a member of staff to each shuttle.
Auve Tech chief executive Kaarel Variksaar said:The real breakthrough for autonomous vehicles will occur when the technology can operate daily inreal-world environments without a human on board. We have reached precisely this stage at Tallinn Airport. A single remote operator can monitor multiple vehicles, and this is a key step toward making autonomous transport economically competitive and scalable.
Tallinn Airport has hosted Auve Tech’s autonomous vehicle testing programme since 2023. Its operational environment provides a setting in which the vehicles must operate under airport-specific rules and safety procedures.
The project demonstrates a potential application for autonomous vehicles in airport operations, where shuttles could support staff transport and internal logistics. Further applications could include moving passengers and equipment, depending on operational requirements and the relevant safety approvals.
Riivo Tuvike, chairman of the management board of Tallinn Airport, said:Tallinn Airport has always placed great importance on innovation and on creating an environment where new technologies can be tested and developed in real-life conditions. Auve Tech began testing autonomous vehicles at Tallinn Airport in 2023, and the airport environment, with its strict safety requirements, rules and procedures, provides an excellent setting for gaining the experience and knowledge needed to introduce autonomous mobility more widely in the future.
We are particularly pleased that Tallinn Airport has now become the first airport in Europe where an autonomous vehicle has been authorised to operate without an onboard safety operator. This is an important step towards more efficient, sustainable and innovative airport operations.
