Phoenix airport becomes first to offer 24-hour AV transport

Autonomous vehicle (AV) operator, Waymo, has begun offering 24-hour kerbside pick-ups and drop-offs at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

The airport was the first in the world to offer an AV service in December 2023 when it began serving limited overnight hours. Waymo has since gradually expanded the hours offered and pick-up and drop-off locations.

“This has been a phased approach to gradually increase the percentage of trips made available to the kerbside of the airport core,” a spokesperson from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport told Cities Today. “[This] has given us the opportunity to better understand the technology and work with our providers to ensure it fits into the framework of the airport and meets the needs of our passengers.”

The spokesperson added that the service has been very positively received by guests visiting the airport.

Space constraints and growth

Speaking to Cities Today earlier this year, Michael O’Shaughnessy, Deputy Aviation Director for Operations at Phoenix Sky Harbor, said that he became interested in the AV service as the airport is facing a double header of increased growth and constrained space.

Measured at 3,400 acres, the airport is the busiest three-runway operation in the world with approximately 1,600 aircraft operations a day. In 2023, 48.6 million passengers passed through its terminals but numbers are expected to rise to over 50 million this year.

“Our roadways haven’t gone through a major expansion because of the space constraints that we have – there are only two ways in and two ways out,” he said. “Our kerbs can get very busy, our roadways can get very busy, and our terminals can get very full.”

Since the initial Waymo launch, he said it has been about learning the technology and gaining more confidence.

“As our understanding grew, our confidence grew in the technology,” he said. “It’s better to make sure that this is a methodical approach to bringing AVs into an airport environment.”

Passenger confidence in AVs has grown, with Phoenix airport numbers averaging 200 autonomous trips per day. Monthly trips with the service have risen from under 1,000 at the launch in 2023, to more than 7,500 in March this year, and in August hitting a total of 100,000 trips since the launch.

“AVs are going to make our roadways smoother and safer,” he added. “Around an airport where you have a large volume of traffic, a lot of congestion, with people in a hurry, that’s when people make mistakes. I think we’ll see [AVs] as a benefit to the flow at any congested airport.”

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