Vehicles & Transportation

dnata to deploy four Cobus VEGA electric buses at Rome Fiumicino

The ground handler expects to become the first operator of Cobus's apron-specific VEGA model, with the four buses due in service by mid-November.

Mei-Lin ChenNovember 3, 20265 min read0 views

An editorial illustration of an electric airport apron bus waiting near a terminal, with an aircraft visible on the apron behind it.

Ground handling provider dnata is adding four fully electric apron buses to its fleet at Rome Fiumicino Airport, with the vehicles scheduled to enter service by mid-November. The buses are the VEGA model from manufacturer Cobus, and dnata says it will be the first ground handler to deploy the new model. The purchase continues the international service provider's investment in electrifying its vehicle fleet in Italy.

The VEGA buses were developed specifically for use on airport aprons, carrying passengers between terminals and aircraft. According to dnata, they offer higher passenger capacity than conventional airport buses. Redesigned doors are intended to speed up boarding and alighting, while improved air conditioning is meant to raise comfort. The company did not disclose details on battery capacity, range or charging power.

With the four additions, the bus fleet at Fiumicino will grow beyond its current 40 vehicles, 23 of which 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.

Part of a broader fleet renewal

The purchase forms 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 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 equipment units, of which over 60 per cent are now electrically powered. For equipment where full electrification is not yet operationally feasible, the company is gradually converting diesel-powered units to run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).

Charging infrastructure in focus

According to dnata, further electrification 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.

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 each year.