Shire's TT22e-DC Electric Tow Tractor Enters Service at Brussels Airport

Six double-cab electric tow tractors from Belgian manufacturer Shire are now operating at Brussels Airport, delivered to GSE provider TCR and in daily use with ground handler Alyzia. The TT22e-DC is the first vehicle in Shire's range built to tow equipment and move personnel in the same trip.

The numbers frame the pitch. The tractor pulls up to 25 tonnes and carries five people in a forward-facing cabin, at a maximum travel speed of 25 km/h. That combination lets one vehicle move baggage trailers, ground power units or mobile aircraft stairs between stands while the ground handling, cleaning or technical crew rides along.

For an airport apron, that's a fleet-count story as much as an equipment story. Every towing job that used to require a separate crew van disappears from the ramp. Shire designed the TT22e-DC explicitly to reduce the number of separate vehicles ground handlers need, which points at two costs handlers care about: simpler fleet management and less apron congestion.

What sits under the cab?

The drivetrain is a 25-kW electric unit fed by an 80V lithium-ion battery system. Shire built the tractor as a purpose-built electric design rather than a conversion, and the company says that approach cuts maintenance requirements and improves fleet efficiency — a claim handlers will test against downtime records as the six Brussels units accumulate hours.

The tractor also carries Shire's CentralHub connectivity platform. CentralHub delivers remote diagnostics, equipment monitoring and fleet performance data, and supports remote software updates. Operators can track vehicle utilization and technical condition from a distance, which matters for a handler running mixed fleets across multiple stands.

Where does it fit in the lineup?

The TT22e-DC slots into an existing electric family. Shire already builds the TT22e, TT30e and TT40e baggage and cargo tractors, all battery-powered. The new unit effectively adds seats to the TT22e formula while keeping the towing class.

What changes for TCR and Alyzia?

The Brussels deployment is the reference case. TCR, one of Europe's larger GSE providers, took the first six units and put them with Alyzia, whose handlers now run towing and crew movement as a single task. If the maintenance and utilization data from CentralHub backs Shire's efficiency claims over a full operating cycle, the double-cab configuration becomes an easier sell to other handlers facing apron space limits and electrification mandates.

Shire has given no delivery targets beyond the initial six, and no operator beyond Alyzia has committed. The next signal will be whether TCR expands the order.