Ground handler dnata is expanding its bus fleet at Rome Fiumicino Airport with four fully electric apron buses from manufacturer Cobus. The vehicles, which are of the VEGA model, are scheduled to enter service by mid-November and will carry passengers between the terminals and the aircraft. According to dnata, the company will be the first ground handling provider to deploy this new model.
The VEGA buses were developed specifically for use on airport aprons and are designed to move passengers between terminal buildings and aircraft. dnata says they offer a higher passenger capacity than conventional airport buses. Redesigned doors are intended to speed up boarding and alighting, while improved air conditioning is cited as a gain in comfort. The company has not disclosed battery capacity, range or charging power, so the operating envelope of the new buses cannot be assessed from the announcement alone.
Larger apron fleet, more electric vehicles
With the four additions, the bus fleet at Fiumicino grows beyond its current 40 vehicles, of which 23 are already electrically powered. dnata says the new buses are intended to make apron handling more efficient and to keep aircraft turnaround times as short as possible. The four vehicles are a modest share of the fleet, and dnata presents the order within a wider modernisation programme rather than as a standalone purchase.
The order is part of a comprehensive modernisation programme in which dnata has invested more than €30 million over the past three years. During that period the company has acquired more than 550 new ground handling equipment units at Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate airports. The equipment covers 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, of which over 60 per cent 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).
Charging infrastructure as a condition for further progress
According to dnata, further electrification of its Italian fleet also depends on the expansion of charging infrastructure at the airports, and the company says it is working with the respective airport operators to achieve this. Beyond the vehicle order itself, the announcement points to infrastructure as a condition for how quickly diesel-powered units can be replaced.
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.