We are continuing our commitment to the sustainability of our airports with new investments, thus continuing the path of lowering CO2 emissions and positioning ourselves at the top of the green airport rankings in Italy and among the leaders in Europe, thanks to the purchase and commissioning of new electric passenger shuttles and operating vehicles.
Just recently, 6 new all-electric e-Cobus 3002s came into service, destined to reach 13 by next year, thus renewing the entire passenger shuttle fleet on the Milan Malpensa apron.
The new Cobus, 13 metres long and equipped with a lithium battery, has an 8-hour battery life and can recharge in fast mode in just 40 minutes. It can carry up to 100 passengers, at the moment 50 in compliance with anti Covid regulations. The use of these vehicles will save 30,000 kilograms of CO2 per year per bus.
“It is a complicated period for airports, but we are deeply convinced that a fresh start needs to be based on renewed and incisive actions for sustainability. We have a common goal with major European airports, which is to reach zero emissions by 2030: a goal that, even in this moment of crisis, airport operators have decided to bring forward from 2050 to 2030. This commitment is particularly challenging given the Italian government's decision not to include Italian airport sustainability projects in the Recovery Plan. However, SEA's intention is to continue on the path of reducing the environmental impact of its airports. We are aware that given the drastic reduction in our investment capacity resulting from the crisis, the timeframe will be longer than planned prior to Covid, but that’s not going to stop us".
At Malpensa, the new, fully electric "push Lektro" also recently came into operation.
The push-back, used to move aircraft around the apron, operates on autonomous lithium batteries for a full day's work, with a recharge time of just 4 hours.
Electric mobility outside the apron also starts today: the shuttles connecting Terminal 1 with Terminal 2 and Cargo City used by passengers and colleagues will be powered electrically.
The new 12-metre-long vehicles use High Power lithium batteries which can cover about 120 km. Recharging the batteries of these two new vehicles takes only 8 minutes. The charging station is located in Via Milano Parking P6, one of the airport's official parking lots, in close proximity with Terminal 2. The buses are equipped with air-conditioning, video surveillance, and manually operated disabled transport station on the central doors.
We are also gradually replacing our Long Term Rental fleet: about 200 vehicles will be replaced by green substitutes in the near future.