New fleet of electric buses in operation at Munich Airport

Munich Airport’s wholly owned ground handling subsidiary has taken delivery of the first 10 electric passenger buses, with another 27 on the way before the end of the year.

AeroGround Flughafen München GmbH has the option to purchase a further 25 buses from MAN Truck & Bus Germany in the future.

The German gateway claims that their arrival marks another key step towards achieving its ‘Net Zero 2035’ ambition.

“We are reducing air pollutants, lowering our energy consumption and avoiding climate damaging CO2 emissions,” explained airport CEO, Jost Lammers.

“The changeover is a further step towards sustainable airport operations and a clean future for the aviation industry. The buses also offer passengers a more comfortable journey from the gate to the aircraft.”

Munich Airport is one of the first MAN customers to receive and use the new e-buses from the 2024 model year.

The electric drive is considered to be particularly efficient for apron use with many short distances and low speeds. According to MUC, the 18-metre articulated buses (MAN Lion’s City E 18) “offer sufficient space for passengers and airline crews as a supplement to the 12-metre solo buses (MAN Lion’s City E 12)”.

It adds that both models feature numerous innovations in terms of equipment and safety. For example, a more efficient and sustainable air conditioning system.

The aim of the ‘Net Zero 2035 sustainability strategy is to ensure that Munich Airport’s operations no longer leave any CO2 in the atmosphere from 2035 at the latest.

By 2030, the entire vehicle fleet on the apron of Munich Airport is to be emission-free and climate-friendly. Half of the vehicles are to be electrically powered as early as this year.

AeroGround provides the majority of aircraft and baggage handling as well as all associated passenger and crew transportation at the airport. The charging infrastructure for the e-buses on the apron is currently being expanded.

The ‘Electrification of the bus fleet at Munich Airport’ project is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV) with a total of €23.8 million as part of the funding for buses with alternative drive systems in passenger transport directive.

Funding is also provided as part of the German Recovery and Resilience Plan via the European Recovery and Resilience Facilities in the NextGeneration EU programme.