WheelTug to Host Airlines at World Low Cost Airlines Congress

Working Groups to Explore Leveraging WheelTug for Maximum Turnaround Time Benefits


GIBRALTAR--(Marketwired - Sep 12, 2014) - WheelTug is pleased to follow presentations at IATA and ICAO over recent weeks with two working group sessions with airlines attending the World Low Cost Airlines Congress in London, 16 and 17 September.

"Our current order book of 985 aircraft, across 23 airlines, has shown extremely strong market demand for WheelTug," says CEO Isaiah Cox. "We want to work with our current and future customers to explore the best ways to take advantage of our E-Taxi system in operational use."

The working groups will give the airline attendees (including senior management, operations experts and fleet planners) the opportunity to discuss WheelTug with each other in working sessions. Airlines which are interested in participating in the working sessions at the Congress should email file@wheeltug.com.

The WheelTug system is being developed initially for the Boeing 737NG and Airbus A320, the world's most widely operated aircraft.

The WheelTug system uses high-performance electric motors, installed in the nose gear wheels of an aircraft, to provide full mobility while on the ground, without the use of the aircraft's jet engines or tugs for both pushback and taxi operations. This allows improvements in efficiency, flexibility, fuel savings, reduced engine wear, reduced foreign object damage (FOD), brakes savings as well as substantial reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. The WheelTug system can be seen in action at http://media.wheeltug.com

The most significant benefit of WheelTug-enabled ground operations is the time that can be saved at the gate and result in significant reduction of turnaround time and improvement of on-time performance. Because the system is in the nose gear, there is no interference with cooling of the brakes on the main landing gear, allowing aircraft to reduce turnaround time by as much as 15 to 20 minutes per flight. This can lead to a dramatic increase in fleet utilization, as well as passenger satisfaction.

WheelTug estimates the total savings from use of its system at well over US$1 million per aircraft per year. WheelTug's systems are being offered to the airlines entirely on a lease, or power-by-the-hour basis, permitting installation on aircraft and operation without any airline capital expenditure.

About WheelTug plc

WheelTug plc is developing the WheelTug aircraft electric drive system, and is based in Gibraltar. A full listing of WheelTug partner companies and airline customers is on the company's website at http://www.wheeltug.gi.

Forward-looking statement at http://www.wheeltug.gi/fls.shtml

Contact Information:

For more information:

Jan Vana
Director
WheelTug plc
+420 724 276 506
+1 410 419 0082
exec@wheeltug.gi
www.wheeltug.gi