Ground handler dnata is adding four fully electric apron buses from manufacturer Cobus to its operation at Rome Fiumicino Airport. The VEGA-model vehicles are scheduled to enter service by mid-November, moving passengers between terminals and aircraft. Dnata says it will be the first ground handler to deploy the new model.
The buses were developed specifically for airport apron use. According to dnata, they offer higher passenger capacity than conventional airport buses, while redesigned doors are intended to speed boarding and alighting. Improved air conditioning is also cited as a comfort improvement. The company did not disclose battery capacity, range, charging power, purchase value or delivery terms.
Fleet composition
With the four additions, dnata’s bus fleet at Fiumicino will grow beyond its current 40 vehicles. Of those, 23 are already electrically powered. The current fleet therefore already has a majority of electric buses, and the new vehicles will raise that share. Dnata says the new vehicles are intended to make apron handling more efficient and help keep aircraft turnaround times as short as possible.
The purchase is part of a broader modernisation programme. Over the past three years, dnata has invested more than €30 million in its Italian ground-handling operations, acquiring more than 550 new 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 equipment units. More than 60% of these are now electrically powered. Where full electrification is not yet operationally feasible, the company is gradually converting diesel-powered equipment to hydrotreated vegetable oil, or HVO.
Charging and scale
Dnata says further electrification depends on expanding charging infrastructure at the airports. The company is working with the respective airport operators on that requirement. The four new buses therefore form part of a fleet transition that combines vehicle investment with site-level energy infrastructure.
In Italy, dnata employs around 5,000 people and serves more than 60 airlines. At its three locations, it handles over 150,000 flights, 46 million passengers and nearly 18 million pieces of baggage annually.
The announcement leaves several operational questions open at the airport. Dnata has not said how the buses will be charged, whether new chargers are required for the VEGA model, or how the vehicles’ range compares with the existing fleet. Those details would be needed to assess the energy and infrastructure implications of the deployment.