Dnata plans to put four fully electric Cobus VEGA apron buses into service at Rome Fiumicino Airport by mid-November, adding the vehicles to its passenger-transport fleet at the Italian hub. The buses will carry passengers between terminals and aircraft.
The ground handler said it will be the first company in its sector to deploy the VEGA model. The buses were developed specifically for airport aprons. 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 increase passenger comfort.
Dnata did not disclose battery capacity, range or charging power for the four vehicles. The announcement therefore sets out the deployment schedule, the model and the intended operational role, but it does not include the technical data that would allow a fuller comparison with the existing bus fleet.
Fleet growth and modernisation
With the four additions, the bus fleet at Fiumicino will expand beyond its current 40 vehicles. Of those 40, 23 are already electrically powered, so the current fleet already has an electric majority; the four new buses will increase both the total number and the electric share. Dnata said the new vehicles are intended to make apron handling more efficient and help keep aircraft turnaround times as short as possible.
The purchase forms part of a broader 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 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. The investment therefore covers a mixed set of vehicles and equipment rather than buses alone.
Across the three Italian airports, dnata operates more than 1,000 motorised ground handling equipment units. More than 60 per cent of these are now electrically powered. Where full electrification is not yet operationally feasible, dnata is gradually converting diesel-powered equipment to run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). The HVO conversion is being used for equipment that cannot yet be fully electrified.
Charging infrastructure and Italian footprint
According to dnata, further electrification depends on the expansion of charging infrastructure at the airports. The company said 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 annually.