Düsseldorf and Stuttgart airports have opened a joint procurement process for up to 26 electric apron passenger buses, with first deliveries at Stuttgart required by Oct. 31, 2027 and the delivery stream running through 2030.

Flughafen Düsseldorf Ground Handling GmbH and Flughafen Stuttgart GmbH are running the tender jointly, but each airport will sign a separate contract for its own portion of the order. The structure gives both operators the pricing leverage of a combined volume while keeping commercial and maintenance responsibility divided at the airport level.

The tender splits into two lots. Düsseldorf plans to purchase 10 electric apron buses, with deliveries staged through 2029. Stuttgart is seeking up to 16 vehicles — an initial firm order for six buses plus additional units available through optional call-offs, with deliveries extending through 2030.

The optional structure at Stuttgart matters for manufacturers bidding on the lot. Only six units carry firm commitment; the remaining ten depend on future exercises of options, which shifts volume risk onto the airports' future budget decisions and complicates any supplier's production planning for the German market.

Both airports specify vehicles designed specifically for passenger transportation on the apron, capable of meeting applicable aviation, safety and operational requirements. That wording rules out adapted road buses; apron vehicles face aircraft proximity rules, boarding-height constraints and turnaround-cycle duty patterns that standard transit buses do not.

Award criteria weight lifecycle cost over sticker price

The evaluation methodology leans heavily toward total cost of ownership rather than purchase price alone. Price will account for 60% of the score, and that price assessment includes not only the acquisition cost but also anticipated maintenance costs over three years and energy costs calculated on a basis of 2,500 operating hours per bus.

Quality and performance characteristics carry the remaining 40% of the evaluation. For suppliers, the formula rewards demonstrable energy efficiency and serviceability data — a bus that costs more upfront but burns less electricity and costs less to maintain over the first three years can win on arithmetic.

The 2,500-hour assumption signals the duty cycle the airports expect from the fleet. It also gives bidders a common basis for comparing battery sizing and charging strategy against actual apron utilization rather than nominal range figures.

Part of a broader European shift

The joint purchase sits within a wider pattern. Airports across Europe continue to replace conventionally powered ground support equipment and passenger transportation vehicles with electric alternatives, driven by emissions regulation, airport air quality targets and, in many cases, the operating cost profile of electric drivetrains in high-utilization, stop-start apron duty.

For apron bus manufacturers — a niche segment served by a small number of specialized suppliers across Europe — a combined German order of up to 26 units represents a meaningful volume commitment in a market where orders typically arrive in single-digit increments per airport.

Applications to participate in the procurement process are due Sept. 29. Award decisions will follow, with Düsseldorf's first staged deliveries expected from contract signature onward and Stuttgart's initial firm units required on the ground before the end of October 2027.