Increased baggage handling automation has the potential to cut an airport’s costs, improve operational performance, enhance baggage reliability, speed up processing times, tackle labor shortages and address concerns over luggage handlers’ health and safety. The benefits are clear but achieving them is no easy task. Deploying increased automation in the complex baggage ecosystem can be a daunting process, especially in hubs that run 24/7, 365 days a year.
Koh Ming Sue, executive vice president of engineering and development at Singapore Changi Airport, describes the process as a “journey of a thousand miles” but urges airports and their partners to be “bold enough to take the first steps”. He says, “At Changi, we have been automating many of our manual baggage handling facilities over time in an existing brownfield environment which is operating 24/7. It is technically challenging and can take a long time, but it is a necessary evil toward achieving more reliable and efficient operations in the long term.”
Baggage handling automation has, of course, been around for many years, but today automation is no longer limited to the central baggage handling hall – it’s extended to encompass all baggage operations within the airport, from dropping off a bag to collecting it at reclaim.
Andy Garner, a founding partner at airport consultancy The FourSails Partnership, previously held the role of baggage director at Heathrow Airport. He says, “Over the past two decades, baggage systems have evolved from solutions largely dominated by mechanical engineering with a light technology layer to sophisticated digital solutions controlling and optimizing every aspect of integrated mechanical components.
“Increased automation is now needed to improve performance as passenger volumes grow. According to SITA’s Baggage IT Insights report 2023, in 2019 there were 5.59 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers versus 11.37 per 1,000 in 2009 – this is an improvement of around 50% against a growth in passengers from 2.48 billion in 2009 to 4.54 billion in 2019. This improvement can predominantly be attributed to increased implementation of automated baggage systems. The question now is about how the automation footprint for baggage, and indeed for wider airport solutions, will extend.”
In the US, Orlando International’s Terminal C, which opened in September 2022, currently operates one of the largest and most comprehensive automated baggage systems in North America. At its heart is a new tote-based individual carrier system (ICS), which for outbound baggage provides in-tote transportation, screening, early bag storage for 1,750 bags, batching and sortation. For inbound baggage it provides sortation and transportation to any bag claim in the terminal for international and domestic operations.
“With close to 60 million passengers passing through its terminals per year, Orlando International recognizes the importance of optimizing its baggage handling processes to ensure a seamless travel experience for all,” says Scott Goodwin, assistant vice president of airport operations, BHS/GSE, at Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, operator of Orlando International.
He continues, “The ICS in Terminal C uses RFID technology for tracking, meaning that personnel no longer need to manually sort bags within or between flights. Prior to delivery, the system can sort bags for loading personnel by flight, destination and classification. In addition, the system allows just-in-time delivery, all of which reduces the potential for human error in loading. The human element of manually sorting bags after screening has essentially been eliminated.”
According to Goodwin, another benefit of the new ICS is that it uses a fraction of the energy of traditional baggage systems. “With ICS, each section is quickly turned on and off as a bag transits smaller sections, reducing energy consumption. This is the opposite of longer sections of conveyor belts that run at the same rate and consumption whether there is one bag or a dozen bags on a conveyor section,” he explains.
Currently, the outbound (departures) system can support a peak of up to 2,800 bags per hour. “It is a loop system, so in theory you can double it if the return inbound [baggage claim] is included simultaneously, giving an overall capacity of 5,000 bags per hour when combined,” notes Goodwin.
“With such a high number of leisure travelers, we are one of the largest origin and destination airports in the world, and therefore see more bags and passengers throughout the terminal’s facilities compared with a connecting hub airport. As a result, the baggage infrastructure for arrivals and departures carries a significant load, with over 90% of our travelers starting and ending their travels at MCO.”
According to Goodwin, Orlando International handles more non-standard types of checked baggage – such as golf clubs, baby strollers and car seats – than any other airport in the world. “Additionally, MCO is the world’s largest rental car market. When you combine longer stays with vacations at the theme parks and a large cruise port within an hour of the airport, the baggage demands are very significant compared with other airports. Orlando has some of the highest checked bag ratios in the country, with longer stays and family travelers leading to additional checked bags.”
Despite being at the forefront of baggage automation, Orlando International continues to review future technologies such as AI, robotics and autonomous vehicles (AVs) to minimize and phase out older conveyor technology.
“The area with the greatest potential for automation is the beginning and end of the process, specifically around the aircraft, where baggage operations remain a labor-intensive function,” Goodwin says. “After arrival at the destination airport, processes will likely evolve from bag claim to distribute bags to other passenger destinations, perhaps a hotel, city center or rental car facility, via sortation and automation.”
Partnering for innovation
In the Netherlands, meanwhile, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is constantly evaluating how it can increase automation in the baggage system to reduce the physical strain on workers. Its innovation partners, The Next Web (TNW) and nlmtd, undertake technology scouting and help the airport understand market developments across several operational areas – baggage being one of them. Last year, TNW developed a market research report for Schiphol covering developments in airport baggage handling and outlining the key trends and technologies.
“More shared testing spaces for experimentation could really foster innovation in the baggage handling industry”
Rahel de Vriend, TNW Programs
“Several technologies are likely to play a significant role in baggage automation,” says Rahel de Vriend, head of innovation, research and scouting at TNW Programs. “The first is autonomous vehicles (AVs). These are crucial for moving baggage across the tarmac when ready, rather than waiting for a handler to become available. TNW has assisted Schiphol in finding the right partner to set up a proof of concept (PoC) with autonomous buses. Currently, these buses are used for transporting staff but the PoC is the first step in understanding how AVs work airside, to provide learnings for autonomous baggage handling, as well.”
Another important technology for baggage automation is robotic arms capable of lifting heavy loads. “These are vital for any airport serious about reducing strain on human handlers,” says de Vriend. “Other technologies include lifting aids that augment human capacity, such as vacuum lifts, exoskeletons and collaborative robots, which help reduce lifting and loading strain.”
De Vriend agrees with Goodwin that automation of the loading and unloading of aircraft offers great potential, but says it is challenging due to the variable conditions, such as different aircraft types, space around the aircraft and weather conditions.
“A solution for loading airplanes is the increased use of batching baggage together before it is either containerized for a wide-body plane or mechanically lifted in batches into narrow-body planes,” de Vriend adds. “Having a mobile belt loader to assist with this process is becoming much more standard practice, but challenges remain in stacking within narrow-body fuselages.”
According to de Vriend, the rapid growth of the aviation industry has meant that airports often have little room for experimental testing, forcing new technologies to be deployed in live settings, which naturally favors low-risk solutions. “More shared testing spaces for experimentation could really foster innovation in the baggage handling industry,” she adds.
He adds, “One thing that stood out was that other sectors adopt an open, collaborative approach when it comes to automation, with complete knowledge sharing of trials and learnings, etc. Airports are very disparate entities and need to come together to share practice and experience to learn from each other and accelerate automation.”
Avinor’s approach
Another contributor to the PTE panel discussion was Idar Sørgjerd, head of baggage handling at Avinor, which operates airports in Norway. The company is in the process of replacing an old baggage handling system at Oslo Airport with Beumer’s CrisBag tote-based system, which will provide an end-to-end solution for the entire baggage handling process. Departure, arrival and transfer baggage will be processed inside the same system, with 100% tracking at all times. The first phase of the project is scheduled to go into operation this summer.
Avinor is also running an automated baggage handling (ABH) program, working with innovation partners to test solutions for increased safety and improved efficiency for first- and last-mile baggage handling. The program is currently focused on the last mile, including baggage loading from the BHS to final sort position and indoor transportation. A 1,500m2 concept verification center has also been built at Oslo Airport for vendors to test and refine concepts. The goal is to purchase and commission the accepted solutions into production in the coming years.
“From an airport perspective, we need help,” says Sørgjerd. “To be able to roll out our visions for increased baggage automation, we depend on partnerships. We also need airports to work together, along with the airlines, to address challenges. A set of common visions and requirements needs to be developed to help companies engineer the right solutions and to accelerate deployment of new technologies.”
Reducing strain on workers
Like Schiphol, Changi Airport is testing the use of AVs for baggage handling. The airport has worked with Aurrigo International to test the Auto-DollyTug on the apron and see how it interacts with ground service equipment. The AV transports aircraft baggage containers and trolleys automatically between the airport terminal and aircraft.
The next phase of this project, which was announced in May this year, will focus on testing the Auto-DollyTug’s fleet communication through Aurrigo’s Auto-Connect platform, enabling the vehicles to be scheduled and monitored to support the turnaround of a wide-body flight. “We are also exploring the use of assisted loading and unloading of loose luggage both at the aircraft and in the airport terminal, and predictive operations and maintenance of baggage handling systems via smart motors and digital-twin dashboards,” says Ming Sue.
“A set of common visions and requirements needs to be developed to help companies engineer the right solutions.”
Idar Sørgjerd, Avinor
One of Changi’s main drivers for automating its baggage handling processes is to reduce strain on workers and address labor shortages. Ming Sue believes that “technology has matured to a stage where smart machines can operate much more safely, reliably and cost-effectively than manpower in many baggage handling functions.”
Changi’s baggage handling process is fully automated between bag drop and baggage reclaim. “The process of loading and offloading bags and baggage containers from the aircraft and trucking them to the terminal is not yet fully automated,” explains Ming Sue. However, he believes that it is only a matter of time before this process becomes automated as well.
“The advent of high-power robot arms will allow the nimble loading and offloading of luggage in tight spaces, such as in and out of oddly shaped aircraft baggage containers without compromising storage efficiency,” he explains. “The availability of autonomous tractors and trolleys will also offer man-less means of conveyance for different baggage handling functions. Furthermore, a digital dashboard that can offer real-time and, if possible, predictive planning and smart coordination of baggage handling operations and maintenance functions across the airport would also contribute to the mission.”
Tech support
Siemens Logistics offers digital dashboards to better manage the baggage handling process. The firm’s BagIQ high-level control (HLC) software solution regulates the baggage handling process, from allocation planning and baggage security screening and tracking to system visualization. Its Baggage 360 management software, which provides intelligent baggage flow optimization and process transparency, has successfully reduced misconnected bags and associated costs at several major hubs, such as those in Dubai.
The company also offers Vision Encoding, a remote service that automatically identifies unreadable bag tags and transmits validated data back to the baggage handling system control, and the Aviation Data Hub, which creates more transparency over end-to-end baggage handling operations by breaking up data silos and providing a single point of truth.
In addition to its software solutions, Siemens Logistics provides the VarioTray ICS, which has a top speed of 10m/s, and the VarioTip, which can automatically empty up to 20 unit load devices (ULDs) per hour with almost no manual intervention.
Siemens Logistics has provided its automated baggage solutions to airports around the world, including Hefei Xinqiao Airport in China, where it is currently equipping the new Terminal 2 with the VarioTray, the VarioStore early bag store and BagIQ software. It is also in the process of modernizing the BHS in Terminal 1 at KL International Airport and has recently completed the expansion of the TBS4 baggage handling system at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Looking at how future technologies could accelerate the automation of the end-to-end baggage journey, Khaled Nabli, globally responsible for digital solutions at Siemens Logistics, says, “The combination of AI-supported operations, smart robotic technologies and AVs holds great promise for achieving highly automated and efficient end-to-end baggage handling in the future, ensuring seamless transitions from check-in to loading onto the aircraft. Intelligently aggregating relevant data from different stakeholders, breaking off the data silos and enabling controlled and secure data analytics will be increasingly important in a future in which operations and services will be even more focused on the customer experience.”
“AI-supported operations, smart robotic technologies and AVs hold great promise.”
Khaled Nabli, Siemens Logistics
Failsafe procedures
According to those in the know, the ultimate end-to-end automated baggage handling system will be a combination of robotics, AVs, AI and tote-based systems (see What does the ultimate automated end-to-end baggage journey look like?, page 52). However, with all this technology in place, and fewer human workers, a failsafe plan is essential to ensure operations don’t come to a standstill if something breaks down.
“This may include a redundant system or parallel process; however, a solution should also be developed in the event of a complete outage,” explains GOAA’s Goodwin. “Automation tends to simplify processes, so it is essential that applicable training and awareness sessions occur to transition processes as needed in the event of an interruption.”
FourSails’ Garner believes that to improve reliability, baggage system manufacturers need to learn from aircraft manufacturers, who create redundancy at the component level on critical components. “Condition-based maintenance will also be essential to monitor the condition of critical components and intervene with corrective fix actions before failure,” he concludes.
What does the ultimate automated end-to-end baggage journey look like?
Andy Garner, founding partner, The FourSails Partnership
“Automation will extend from the point of receiving a bag from a passenger to presenting it at the aircraft side for loading. The latter is increasingly seeing bags built and reconciled into containers. The same would apply for an arriving passenger. An aircraft will be unloaded and presented to the automated system to return the baggage to customers at the arrival carousel. In addition, I can envisage the technology layer enabling bags to be picked up and dropped off at passengers’ homes or hotels.”
Scott Goodwin, assistant vice president of airport operations, BHS/GSE, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
“Picture a seamless baggage journey where luggage is effortlessly tracked and handled with minimal human intervention. This vision encompasses automated sorting, loading and unloading processes, coupled with real-time tracking capabilities for passengers and airport staff alike. The ultimate journey will further support automation from the baggage system to and from the aircraft, including the airline functions of loading and unloading.”
Rahel de Vriend, head of innovation, research and scouting, TNW Programs
“Ideally, from the moment you check in your baggage to the moment you pick it up at your destination airport, no human would have touched your bag. It should be a seamless process that efficiently loads baggage into a cart or ULD, stores it, brings it to the plane, and even loads it onto the aircraft. The process then reverses until you reclaim your baggage.”
This article originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of Passenger Terminal World. To view the magazine in full, click here.
