JERUSALEM, June 17 (Reuters) - State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said on Wednesday that Airbus had agreed to test its environmentally friendly, pilot-controlled aircraft towing system.
IAI said in a statement its Taxibot Dispatch Towing concept had the potential to reduce annual fuel costs for the airline industry from $8 billion to below $2 billion and to slash the industry's annual carbon emissions by 16 billion tons.
The Taxibot system allows both wide and narrow body commercial airplanes to taxi to and from the gate and the runway without the use of their jet engines.
IAI said two companies were testing the towing system on Airbus A340-600 planes in Toulouse. If it passes performance, commercial and safety tests, IAI and Airbus have agreed to launch a joint venture to develop and market Taxibot.
First deliveries of Taxibot, which also reduces noise pollution, would start by the third quarter of 2011, IAI said. (Reporting by Joseph Nasr, editing by Will Waterman)