Yorkshire’s airport has completed the installation of a simulator built on a digital twin of its own airport, so drivers can practise rare and difficult conditions before they meet them airside.
Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) now trains its airside drivers on the Aveo Driving Simulator. Aveo, the Icelandic airside simulation company, completed the final deployment at the airport on 25 August 2026, following the contract announced in May.
The simulator puts drivers in a digital twin of Leeds Bradford Airport, built from real-world data. Every driver can be trained on the same exercise scenarios and assessments before going airside, which gives the airport a consistent baseline of competency across its driver workforce. Drivers can practise emergency procedures and runway incursion prevention, and train in heavy rain, fog, low sun, thunderstorms and at night. The simulator provides an objective, data-driven record of a driver’s competency that is audit-ready. The Aveo Driving Simulator helps meet training and competency requirements set by ICAO Annex 14 and CAA CAP 642.
Leeds Bradford Airport will also use Aveo’s Winter Ops module, which lets its team practise clearing snow in winter conditions and low visibility.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority’s CAP 790, updated in July 2026, says aerodrome operators should “consider the use of recurrent scenario-based training, local runway incursion case studies, and competency assessments”.
“The airside driving simulator not only allows us to deliver an enhanced, highly engaging initial training course but also enables us to recreate specific incidents or near misses based on reports received through our SMS reporting platform. Our fire team are already using the simulator for Low Visibility Procedures (LVP’s) airfield search training and we’re really looking forward to introducing winter operation simulations for the airside operations team.”Richard DuncanHead of Airfield Operations, Leeds Bradford Airport
“We’re proud and excited to partner with Leeds Bradford Airport to bring the Aveo Driving Simulator to their airside drivers. Richard and the operations team worked with us at every stage, from creating a 1:1 digital twin of their airport to the exercises their drivers will be tested on. Every driver can now train on the same scenarios and be assessed the same way, giving the airport consistent training records.”Ragnar SævarssonChief Commercial Officer and Co-founder, Aveo