Photo: Fronius
A partnership between ground handling giant dnata and Fronius UK will see the delivery of a state-of-the-art electric baggage tug (EBT) and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure at Manchester Airport.
Dnata, which currently handles over 17,500 aircraft turnarounds annually across Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow, has a fleet of 28 EBTs and a team of 120 ramp professionals. The need for a reliable and scalable charging solution was non-negotiable.
While Manchester previously featured nine charging stations, the main charging area now features 22 Fronius Selectiva 4.0 chargers, while a bespoke dual-purpose sub-area is equipped with a further two Selectiva 4.0 chargers and two Wattpilot EV chargers. Exterior LED indicators provide instant visual feedback on battery status.
Photo: Fronius
Fronius UK worked with Turner & Townsend Infrastructure to deliver the project at Manchester Airport.
“The operational benefits are brilliant as we can now charge all our kit in one area,” said Stephanie Clough, Operations Manager at dnata. The new airside location consolidates the operations team and charging infrastructure into a single hub.
Fronius’s Charge & Connect digital monitoring system, coupled with Tag ID battery sensor technology, have been instrumental in delivering intelligent fleet management.
Nick Williams, Airside Fleet Supervisor, said: “With Charge & Connect, I can monitor the health of the batteries and forward plan, so that if I have a failing battery, a replacement can be ordered, which means less downtime for the vehicles.”
Beyond operational gains, the new system has delivered measurable environmental benefits. Fronius’s intelligent charging curves have enabled dnata to significantly reduce water consumption for battery maintenance – from 10 litres per battery per week to just two litres, and sometimes as little as none.
