BCS Group, headquartered in Auckland New Zealand have combined innovative design with the flexibility and performance of SEW-Eurodrive’s motor and drive technology to develop and deliver a new high efficiency streamlined baggage handling facility for Melbourne Airport.
Melbourne Airport provides air transit for over 24 million people each year, nearly five million of which are international. With the increase in international passengers gaining momentum into Melbourne Airport and the inception of the Airbus A380 to contend with, Melbourne Airport required faster, more efficient methods of handling the increasing volume of passenger baggage to keep the overall efficiency of the airport at the required levels.
The newly redeveloped baggage handling facility replaces the existing inbound system with an inbound bag room located on the tarmac. Baggage carrying carts or ‘tugs’ transport baggage from aircrafts on the tarmac to the bag room where the baggage is manually loaded onto one of six single-line belt-conveyor bag lines and ultimately dropped off onto one of five baggage carousels for collection by disembarked passengers.
The latest BCS Group baggage landing system at Melbourne International Airport comprises over 600 metres of belt conveyors and transports baggage from the bag room on the tarmac over 100 metres to join existing baggage collection systems in the arrivals hall. Interestingly, one of the carousels is serviced by two bag lines to handle the additional baggage from incoming A380 flights.
At this stage, no information has been provided regarding the service improvements that the new baggage handling system has provided to Melbourne Airport.