News

Stansted airport unveils £70 million baggage system

26 May 2021 by Hannah Brandler
London Stansted Baggage

London Stansted airport has revealed a new state-of-the-art baggage system, described as the “longest system of its type in the world”.

The revamp took four years to complete and marks the largest upgrade to the airport’s baggage network since the terminal opened in 1991. The work was initially carried out in stages to minimise disruption, but the airport stated that the drop in traffic due to the Covid-19 pandemic meant that it could be completed ahead of schedule.

The project involved replacing the ageing set-up of conveyor belts and chutes with 2.4km of track and 180 automated carts.

The low energy and fully automated ‘Beumer autover’ baggage handling system has been designed by airport luggage experts Beumer Group, and is described as being “faster and more efficient than the one it replaces”. According to the airport, it operates at speeds of up to five metres per second, meaning that it will take around six minutes to transport bags from check-in to being ready to load onto the aircraft.

The airport has released a video showing the system going through operational readiness trials in February.

Steve Radford, Hold Baggage System Programme Lead, who oversaw the project, said:

“We’re delighted to reach this very important milestone in the hold baggage system project. While passengers simply hand their baggage in at check-in for their journey, below the terminal is a highly automated and complex system that seamlessly and safely ensures the right bag reaches the right flight. The Beumer autover® system uses the latest digital technology, which will future-proof London Stansted’s baggage operation for years to come, improving performance for both our passengers and airlines.”

“We would have much rather have welcomed the numbers of passengers we were expecting, but under the circumstances, the team took advantage of the situation and did a brilliant job. Despite the challenges that we’ve all faced in the last 12 months, it’s been encouraging to work on a project that’s going to have such a positive impact on passengers when they return to the airport.”

Klaus Schäfer, CEO of Beumer Group UK, added:

“We commend Stansted Airport in following their strategy and identifying the perfect window of opportunity for remodelling their baggage handling system setup. This now means the airport has a future proof system and a great deal of built-in flexibility for years to come. The integration of an end-to-end baggage handling system not only allows Stansted Airport to grow and service their airline customers and passengers, but it also places Stansted in the league of modern airports known for operating with a very efficient baggage handling design to increase baggage traceability and security at every stage of the handling process.”

The work has also been linked with a new check-in area that opened in 2019, and includes the installation of new hi-tech ‘Standard 3’ baggage scanners which are required under new EU regulations.

Earlier this year the airport celebrated the 30th anniversary of the opening of its Norman Foster-designed building.

stanstedairport.com

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