System and method for improving efficiency of aircraft gate services and turnaround

A method for improving aircraft gate servicing and turnaround efficiency comprising:

• a. equipping an aircraft with an engines-off electric taxi system controllable to power aircraft taxi, and activating and controlling said electric taxi system to drive the aircraft in a forward direction from a landing location to a parking location at an airport terminal;
• b. turning the aircraft and parking the aircraft in said parking location in an orientation wherein a longest axis of said aircraft is parallel to the terminal, whereby passenger access doors in at least forward and aft locations in said aircraft body are facing the terminal;
• c. providing a number of flexibly movable extendable passenger loading bridges corresponding to a number of passenger access doors in said aircraft body and selected gate service supply and utility connections supported by said loading bridges to supply or perform selected gate utilities and services during turnaround, wherein said passenger loading bridges and gate service supply and utility connections are attached at a terminal end to said terminal;
• d. extending each of the passenger loading bridges to connect at an end opposite the terminal end to the at least forward and aft access doors to provide multiple passages between the aircraft and the terminal, and connecting said gate service supply and utility connections at an end opposite the terminal end to corresponding service and utility connections on said aircraft;
• e. directing arriving passengers to exit the aircraft and enter the terminal and departing passenger to leave the terminal and enter the aircraft concurrently while said selected gate services are performed and utilities are supplied to the aircraft;
• and
• e. when all departing passengers have entered the aircraft and all selected gate services and utilities have been provided and said aircraft is cleared for departure, activating the engines-off electric taxi system to turn said aircraft and drive the aircraft in a forward direction away from said terminal to a takeoff runway.