Ground handler dnata is preparing to put four fully electric Cobus VEGA apron buses into service at Rome Fiumicino Airport by mid-November. The vehicles will carry passengers between terminals and aircraft, adding to a bus fleet that currently numbers 40 and already includes 23 electric vehicles.
Dnata said it will be the first ground handler to deploy the VEGA model, which Cobus has developed specifically for airport aprons. The buses are designed for terminal-to-aircraft transfers and, according to dnata, offer higher passenger capacity than conventional airport buses. Redesigned doors are intended to speed boarding and alighting, while improved air conditioning is meant to increase passenger comfort. Dnata did not disclose battery capacity, range or charging power for the four vehicles.
The four additions are intended to make apron handling more efficient and help keep aircraft turnaround times as short as possible. The 23 electric vehicles are already part of that 40-strong fleet, which the four new buses will expand. Across Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate, the company operates more than 1,000 motorised ground handling equipment units, of which more than 60 per cent are now electrically powered.
Part of a wider fleet programme
The bus order forms part of a modernisation programme in which dnata has invested more than €30 million over the past three years. During that period, the company acquired more than 550 new ground handling equipment units at the three Italian airports. The equipment includes passenger buses as well as baggage tractors, conveyor belts, passenger stairs, aircraft loaders and pushback tractors.
Dnata is also using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) where full electrification is not yet operationally feasible. The company said it is gradually converting diesel-powered equipment to HVO. At the same time, it noted that further electrification depends on the expansion of charging infrastructure at the airports, and that it is working with the respective airport operators to achieve this.
Scale of Italian operations
The Italian operations provide the context for the fleet investment. Dnata employs around 5,000 people in the country 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.
For Fiumicino, the four VEGA buses represent a small but visible step in the broader replacement and expansion of ground support equipment. The buses are set to start work by mid-November. Dnata's plans for further electrification will depend in part on charging infrastructure expansion at the airport.