One of the world’s largest air service providers is now operating emissions-reducing propane autogas vehicles at Los Angeles International Airport. dnata, a global air services provider with inflight catering operations at the airport, purchased eight Ford F-750 delivery trucks fueled by propane, a domestically produced, clean and economical alternative fuel.

“Our top priority is to operate a clean and safe fleet. With these propane vehicles, we reduce emissions without sacrificing safety or performance,” said Peter DeVito, CEO of dnata catering USA.

Dnata’s propane trucks are 90% cleaner than the Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions standard. They are built with ROUSH CleanTech’s 6.8L V-10 3V propane engine, which is certified to the optional near-zero nitrogen oxide (NOx) level of 0.02 g/bhp-hr. NOx is the biggest challenge to air quality in the United States and according to the EPA, exposure to NOx exhaust can trigger health problems, such as asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory issues.

With dnata’s recent propane vehicle purchase, ROUSH CleanTech has built and deployed 20,000 Ford vehicles and Blue Bird school buses fueled by propane to fleets across North America since 2010.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with dnata as the company expands in the U.S. and moves to a greener fleet,” said Todd Mouw, president of ROUSH CleanTech. “It’s these types of solid foundations that have helped us become the industry leader of alternative fuel technology, with 20,000 vehicles, more than 1,200 customers and over 1 billion miles accumulated.”

Dnata’s first two vehicles were delivered this month, with another six arriving by year end. Dnata will fuel the vehicles through mobile on-site fueling with its local propane provider, as well as at public propane stations. There are thousands of public propane autogas fueling stations across the U.S.

Propane autogas averages about half the price of diesel. “The economics of propane autogas are hard to ignore,” said DeVito. “Propane helps keep our budget in check because the fuel costs a lot less and requires less maintenance than diesel or gasoline.”