Official handover of 27 MAN Lion’s City buses
In a festive ceremony at Munich’s “Franz Josef Strauß” airport, MAN Truck & Bus handed over 19 articulated and eight solo MAN Lion’s City buses for passenger transport to AeroGround Flughafen München GmbH. AeroGround is the subsidiary of Flughafen München GmbH (FMG) responsible for ramp services. A further 19 solo buses will be delivered by 2014.
In the presence of the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Ursula Heinen-Esser, Heinz-Jürgen Löw, Director of Marketing, Sales & Services at MAN Truck & Bus AG, presented the symbolic keys to the new vehicles to the airport’s CEO, Dr. Michael Kerkloh.
An increase of two percent in 2012 saw Bavaria’s international air-traffic hub set a new record of 38.4 million airline passengers. Since the airport went into service in 1992, the annual number of passengers has already more than trebled. With this increase, the challenges in terms of transporting passengers and crew between the terminals and the parking positions of the aircraft have increased concomitantly.
The interior fittings of the buses in robust stainless-steel look have been optimised for standing room in order to provide high passenger capacity. Powerful air-conditioning systems guarantee a high level of comfort in all vehicles, regardless of season. The kneeling feature makes it easier for passengers to board and exit.
Efficient MAN common-rail diesel engines delivering 235 kW (320 hp) comply with the stringent EEV emission standard. Voith four-speed automatic transmissions with SensoTop control and integrated retarders transmit that power to the driving axles.
The MAN Lion’s City articulated buses delivered to Munich Airport boast particularly low noise and pollution levels and for this have been certified with the “Blue Angel” eco label. Relative to the buses employed at the airport up to now, the new vehicles represent a significant improvement as far as particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions are concerned. The new buses from manufacturer MAN emit a mere 0.02 grams of particulate per kilowatt hour, for example. By comparison: The corresponding figure for the buses that have been operating on the ramp up to now is 1.1 grams – more than fifty times higher. The reduction in nitrogen oxides is also a significant one: the new buses produce only 2 grams of NOx per kilowatt hour by contrast with the more than 14 grams of their predecessors AeroGround has entered into servicing agreements with MAN Truck & Bus Deutschland for all 27 vehicles.
The Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Ursula Heinen-Esse, had this to say: “I would like to see more decision-makers, both in your sector and in other sectors, taking note of your cooperation here in Munich, the message being: procurement stamped with the Blue Angel seal of approval pays off in economic terms and with regard to achieving corporate environmental objectives.”
Dr. Michael Kerkloh, CEO of FGM stated that: “Sustainable further development is a pillar of Munich Airport’s strategy, which aims at a continual reduction of the pressures involved in operating an airport, in the first instance by harnessing technical improvements. With the purchase of buses certified with the Blue Angel from the manufacturer MAN we have taken yet another step towards achieving this goal.”
In the course of handing over the keys, Heinz-Jürgen Löw, Director of Marketing, Sales & Services at MAN Truck & Bus AG, said: “We are proud of the fact that Munich’s renowned airport has chosen buses from MAN. As a leading international manufacturer of commercial vehicles with its Head Office in Munich, having our buses on the tarmac of the city’s airport is a first-class business card.”
From left: Dr. Michael Kerkloh, CEO of Flughafen München GmbH (FGM), Ursula Heinen-Esser, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for the Environment and Heinz-Jürgen Löw, Director of Marketing, Sales & Services at MAN Truck & Bus AG, escorted by two stewardesses of Airport Munich