dnata puts first electric Cobus VEGA buses into service at Rome Fiumicino

Four fully electric Cobus VEGA buses enter service at Rome Fiumicino by mid-November, making dnata the first ground handler in the world to deploy the model. The buses will shuttle passengers between terminals and aircraft parked at remote stands, replacing combustion units on one of an airport's most repetitive duty cycles.

The VEGA was developed specifically for electric apron operations. It offers greater passenger capacity than standard airport buses, improved climate control, and redesigned doors intended to speed boarding and disembarkation. Capacity and door design matter on remote-stand operations, where boarding time leaks directly into turnaround performance.

The delivery lifts dnata's passenger bus fleet at Fiumicino to 40 vehicles, of which 23 are electric. That is a 57% electric share on the Roman apron, slightly below the company's national figure.

How large is the investment behind it?

The buses form one part of a fleet modernization program that has channelled more than €30 million into ground support equipment across dnata's Italian operations over the past three years. That is roughly €10 million per year of capital spending on tractors, stairs, loaders and buses.

Since 2024, the company has introduced more than 550 GSE units at Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate. The list includes:

• baggage tractors
• passenger boarding stairs
• conveyor belts
• aircraft loaders
• pushback tractors

Across Italy, dnata now operates more than 1,000 motorized GSE units, with more than 60% of the fleet electric. Where electrification is not yet operationally feasible, the company has been transitioning diesel-powered equipment to hydrotreated vegetable oil, or HVO, to reduce emissions. The fuel substitution covers the gap that batteries cannot yet fill.

Why does a bus order matter to airlines?

dnata's Italian operation is not a marginal business. Across its three airports, the handler serves more than 60 airline customers and handles approximately 150,000 flights, 46 million passengers and 18 million bags annually.

Those figures frame the stakes. A bus fleet that boards faster and runs cleaner touches roughly 126,000 passengers per day on average, spread across more than 400 daily flights. Remote-stand transport is a hidden variable in on-time performance, and electric drivetrains cut both emissions and fuel cost per trip.

The HVO transition also signals where the industry's pragmatism lies. Full electrification of apron fleets remains constrained by duty cycles, charging infrastructure and vehicle availability, so drop-in renewable fuel carries the remainder.

What comes next?

The mid-November entry into service will be watched by other handlers weighing the VEGA against incumbent diesel buses. If the four units deliver on faster boarding claims, expect orders to follow. For now, Fiumicino serves as the proving ground.