Ground handler dnata is expanding its fleet at Rome Fiumicino Airport with four fully electric apron buses from manufacturer Cobus. The VEGA-model vehicles are set to enter service by mid-November and will transport passengers between terminals and aircraft. According to the company, dnata will be the first ground handler to deploy the new model, continuing its investment in the electrification of its Italian vehicle fleet.
The buses were developed specifically for use on airport aprons and are designed to carry passengers between terminals and aircraft. dnata says they offer a higher passenger capacity than conventional airport buses, while redesigned doors are intended to speed up boarding and alighting and improved air conditioning to raise comfort on board. The company did not disclose details on battery capacity, range or charging power, so the distance the vehicles can cover between charging sessions is not specified in the announcement.
With the four new vehicles, the bus fleet at Fiumicino will grow beyond its current 40 units, of which 23 are already electrically powered. dnata says the additions are intended to make apron handling more efficient and to keep aircraft turnaround times as short as possible.
A wider modernisation programme
The purchase is part of a modernisation programme in which dnata has invested more than €30 million over the past three years. In that period the company acquired more than 550 new ground handling equipment units at Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate. The equipment includes passenger buses, as well as baggage tractors, conveyor belts, passenger stairs, aircraft loaders and pushback tractors.
Across the three Italian airports, dnata operates more than 1,000 motorised ground handling units, and more than 60 per cent of them are now electrically powered. Where full electrification is not yet operationally feasible, the company is gradually converting diesel-powered equipment to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), so the remaining fleet is being addressed in stages rather than left unchanged.
Charging infrastructure as a limiting factor
According to dnata, further electrification also depends on the expansion of charging infrastructure at the airports, and the company is working with the respective airport operators to achieve this. That makes airport charging capacity a factor alongside vehicle availability. The announcement did not specify the charging arrangement for the new buses at Fiumicino.
In Italy, dnata employs around 5,000 people and serves more than 60 airlines. At its three locations the company handles over 150,000 flights, 46 million passengers and nearly 18 million pieces of baggage annually.