One of the UK’s driving forces in autonomous vehicles has been named in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2025.

David Keene, the founder of Aurrigo International plc, has been awarded an MBE(Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to the ‘decarbonisation of airports’, marking over 40 years of experience working in the automotive sector and developing driverless technology and intelligent mobility in aviation.

The Warwickshire-based entrepreneur was recognised for the way he has pioneered one of the most significant innovations the aviation world has seen in four decades with the launch of Auto-DollyTug^® – an autonomous vehicle that is moving luggage and cargo around six airports across the world.

Designed, developed and built at the firm’s Advanced Engineering Centre in Coventry, the electric powered tugs are promising to cut emissions, increase operational performance and, most importantly, improve passenger experience.

The MBE comes just a few weeks after Aurrigo International secured its largest agreement to date, entering into a strategic partnership with Swissport to launch at Zurich Airport and then explore future implementation at other locations across the world.

“When you’ve been in business for four decades, nothing tends to surprise you…until this!” commented Professor David Keene MBE.

“Aurrigo has come a long way since I started the business in my spare room in 1993. Whilst automotive components (mainly wiring looms and electronics) are still a major part of the business, it is our ‘first to market’ work in autonomous aviation vehicles that is catching the media headlines.”

He continued: “It is such a massive honour to be recognised by HRH King Charles, but the MBE is really for all the team that have played such a key role in our growth and success to date. They’ve believed in the dream, and it is their skills, expertise and technical knowledge that has transported us to the front of the autonomous conversation.”

David, who coined the intelligent Ground Support Equipment (iGSE) phrase that is sweeping aviation, is a passionate ambassador for UK manufacturing and in encouraging more young people into engineering.

Academia is important to him, and he has forged strong relationships with Aston, Warwick, and Coventry Universities, giving students/researchers the opportunity to explore new R&D and embed lessons from working with companies in advanced vehicles and technology into their learning.

His selfless passion for mobility has also seen him commit 100 hours+ of voluntary service to the UK Automotive Council, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, local Universities and Galgotias University in India, where he lectures international students on automated vehicles and technology.

These roles, which he has done for more than a decade, provide the small company viewpoint on the development of technologies, business support, funding, and industry regulation.

David concluded: “We are building something really exciting in the UK that positions us as a real driving force in the world of autonomous vehicles for aviation.

“As we grow through Auto-DollyTug^®, Auto-Sim^® (simulation software for replicating airport activity) and Auto-Cargo^®(our largest vehicle yet), we are going to need more people with the right skills and talent to take us to the next level.

“That’s why it is important that we are vocal about the careers available in manufacturing and technology, showcasing the global opportunities they deliver.”

For further information, please visit www.aurrigo.com or follow the company across its social channels.

Today’s announcement that the UK government will fast-track commercial self-driving pilots by spring 2026 is a defining moment—not just for passenger transport, but for every sector that stands to benefit from autonomous innovation.
At Aurrigo, we see this as a vital step forward in unlocking the productivity, safety and environmental benefits of autonomy across the UK—and we’re proud to be among the companies helping shape this future from the ground up.
We’ve long believed the UK can be a global leader in smart, connected and autonomous transport. This update proves that ambition is turning into action:
✈️ In aviation, we’re already demonstrating autonomy’s power to tackle real challenges. Our Auto-DollyTug® is redefining baggage handling, helping reduce emissions, optimise turnaround times and boost safety—with trials deployments around the world.
📍 Our Auto-Sim® platform is helping airports and planners simulate, optimise and validate autonomous operations before deployment—bridging today’s operations with tomorrow’s automation.

This government commitment—paired with the Automated Vehicles Act—sends a strong signal to industry: the UK is serious about future mobility, and it’s ready to support innovation through world-leading regulation, real-world pilots and collaboration.
We look forward to continuing to work with government, industry partners and our global customers to ensure the UK not only keeps pace with autonomy—but leads it.
hashtag#AutonomousVehicles hashtag#FutureOfTransport hashtag#Aurrigo hashtag#SmartAirside hashtag#DriverlessT

A Coventry-based autonomous vehicle Operations Manager has been named as an ‘unsung hero’ in one of the industrial world’s most prestigious competitions.

Aurrigo International plc’s Ricky Raines was featured in The Manufacturer’s Top 100 manufacturing professionals last night at a high-profile event in Birmingham, impressing judges with the way he has helped lead the deployment of first and last mile driverless pods and shuttles and Auto-DollyTug® – the next generation of luggage dollies for aviation. 

The former hospitality worker has made the seamless switch into engineering and is now leaving his mark across the world, working with European cities and seven global airports, including Cincinnati, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Zurich.  Each location has had its own unique intricacies and route mapping to consider, including bringing together multiple stakeholders to ensure a safe deployment space that delivers the trial conditions and data required to support the integration of autonomous vehicles.

“When I joined Aurrigo eight years ago, I never thought for one minute I’d be named in the Top 100 manufacturing professionals in the UK…I’m just doing my job,” explained Ricky, who has overseen more than 5,000 hours of domestic and international testing.

“For me, it shows how far we come as a business and the fact that we are now viewed as one of the first companies in the world to be deploying our autonomous vehicles airside. This is some achievement from the 110 people we employ in Coventry and at our international bases in the US, Canada and Singapore.”

He continued: “There’s certainly been some challenges along the way, including managing lots of different stakeholders, evolving legislation and some good old fashioned bad weather. Thankfully we’ve even now developed a rainwater algorithm, which means Auto-DollyTug® can still operate in up to 50mm per hour of rain.”

There is little doubt that Ricky’s expertise has directly contributed to the expansion of Aurrigo’s autonomous vehicle solutions, increasing customer confidence and adoption across the company’s pods, shuttles and aviation vehicles.

In fact, the last twelve months has seen the business report a 33% increase in total revenues to £8.9m, including a staggering 433% rise in autonomous sales covering Auto-Sim® (a software platform for replicating airport activity) and Auto-DollyTug®, the latter responsible for moving luggage and cargo around.  Beyond deployments, the 32-year-old has also been a cornerstone of internal training and knowledge-sharing with the firm’s engineering department.

He has personally trained numerous team members and external partners in the safe operation of autonomous vehicles, bridging the gap between advanced engineering and practical implementation.  Professor David Keene, CEO of Aurrigo International, concluded: “While others may focus solely on their designated tasks, Ricky takes ownership of the broader success of each project, ensuring that our solutions are implemented safely and efficiently.

“His commitment to training, knowledge-sharing, and operational excellence has had a lasting impact on both the company and the wider industry. He fully merits inclusion into The Manufacturer’s Top 100!”

For further information, please visit www.aurrigo.com or follow the company on social media.

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