Rotterdam The Hague airport is experimenting with using self-driving carts to take suitcases and bags from the conveyor belt at check in to the aircraft.

The airport authority says it hopes the robots will be able to deliver baggage more quickly than using current machine-sorted methods. ‘Now the autonomous carts find their way themselves, and sort as well as transport the suitcases,’ Koen Evers, a spokesman for logistics company Vanderlande, said.

The new system should also lead to less lost luggage, he told RTV Rijnmond.

‘The energy used by Fleet vehicles is initially generated by solar panels, helping to create a zero-emissions baggage handling solution at the airport,’ the company says on its website. ‘Their design also means that the vehicles can easily be recycled, contributing to a circular economy’

The trial, which started on Monday, only involves baggage which has been checked in in Rotterdam. Ground crew will have ‘easier’ work because of the use of robots, Desiree Breedveld, the airport’s commercial director, said.

The trial will run for three months.