Processes comprising: providing an aromatic alcohol; and reacting the aromatic alcohol with ammonia at a temperature of 80 to 350° C. in the presence of hydrogen and a heterogeneous catalyst to form a crude reaction product comprising a corresponding primary aromatic amine, wherein the heterogeneous catalyst comprises a catalytically active composition which, prior to reduction with hydrogen, comprises 90 to 99.8% by weight of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of an oxygen-comprising compound of palladium, and 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of an oxygen-comprising compound of platinum.