Swissport Italy has committed €11mn to invest in sustainable ground support vehicles at Rome Fiumicino Airport – a “significant share” of which will be electric.
The announcement comes as the ground handler looks to reaffirm its ambition to increase the share of electric vehicles in its fleet to at least 55 per cent by 2032.
The move also aligns with the company’s goal to have net zero carbon emission operations by 2050, it said.
Swissport’s ground support equipment (GSE) fleet at Rome Fiumicino Airport, which includes tractors, pushbacks, passenger buses, baggage belts, cargo loaders and transporters, will be modernised to achieve more sustainable operations.
Marina Bottelli, managing director of Swissport Italy, said: “Our investment in fleet modernisation and infrastructure upgrades aligns with our commitment to deliver market-leading handling services to our 30-plus airline customers at Fiumicino.
“[As] we continuously invest in more environmentally friendly operations, Swissport will further increase the share of electrically powered vehicles in its fleet to at least 55 percent by 2032.”
Bottelli added that “longer term, we are committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions” by 2050 at the “latest”.
50 new electric tractors are already operational at the airport, and another 70 are scheduled for delivery before summer.
Its fleet electrification at Rome Fiumicino Airport comes after Swissport International announced “strong growth” in 2023 after seeing a 15.3 per cent increase in the number of flights it handled compared to 2022.
The ground handler also saw a 24.6 per cent increase last year in the number of airline passengers it served compared to 2022.
Swissport Italy recently inaugurated its new Fiumicino operations centre, strategically located in close proximity to runway activities.
Its “state-of-the-art” facility serves as the nerve centre for hub management and co-ordination, where its teams oversee operations, including the co-ordination of airplane, passenger and baggage transit services at Fiumicino.
Image credit: Swissport Italy
