Airport logistics Siemens to expand baggage handling system at Munich Airport Terminal 2
- Passenger growth at the second largest German airport requires expansion of the baggage handling system
- Capacity of the system to be increased by 30 percent
- Minimum connecting time of 30 minutes from one flight to another will be maintained
- Conversion and expansion work to be performed during ongoing operation
Siemens has received an order to expand the existing baggage handling system at Terminal 2 of Munich Airport from the Terminal 2 Company. The sorting capacity of the baggage handling system and the storage capacity of the early bag store system are to be increased by around 30 percent after completion at the end of 2015. The reason for the capacity expansion is the growing number of passengers passing through Munich Airport. As a joint subsidiary of the Munich Airport GmbH and Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the Terminal 2 Company controls operations at Terminal 2 of Munich Airport. The extension and conversion work will be performed during ongoing operation. The order comprises the layout, engineering, assembly, commissioning, and integration of the system.
In the first half of 2011, the Munich Airport GmbH recorded around 18 million passengers, up more than 13 percent on the same period the previous year. Therefore the Terminal 2 Company awarded Siemens the order to expand the baggage handling system that same year. The order for the second extension stage followed one year later. This was necessary because the number of passengers had risen again when the new satellite building was built at Terminal 2.
After completion of the new satellite building at Terminal 2, up to 11 million more passengers can be handled per year.
"Thanks to the innovative Siemens technology, our baggage handling system provides top value in terms of reliability and availability. To ensure fast passenger handling in the future, too, we decided on a three-stage expansion of the system together with Siemens," says Christian Wallner, executive board member at the Terminal 2 Company.
"The completion of the third expansion phase will increase the performance of the baggage handling system by one third. In this way, our customer can ensure the same reliability and speed as before despite the growing volume of traffic and stricter security requirements," says Jörg Ernst, CEO of Siemens Business Unit Logistics and Airport Solutions. In total, the system requires less than 25 minutes to transfer an item of baggage from one parked aircraft to another. That makes Terminal 2 one of the best international transit airports in Europe.
The conveyor belts were originally over 40 kilometers long when they were commissioned in 2003. Since then around 14,000 bags have been carried, scanned, and sorted every hour at a speed of up to 25 kilometers per hour. Siemens' delivery for the three phases comprises the extension of the existing baggage handling system by another 15 kilometers by 2015. This also includes the installation of two baggage carousels in the arrivals area, two removal carousels in the sorting area, and further conveying equipment. In addition, 2,400 new sorter elements in the departure area and 1,000 new spaces for the early bag store system in which baggage items can be temporarily stored until departure. Around 50 additional control elements and 5,100 electric drives for the conveyor belts are also in the scope of supply.
Siemens designed and built the baggage handling system for Munich Terminal 2 that went into operation in 2003 as a consortium leader. Siemens has also been responsible since 2010 for maintaining the mechanical, electrical, and control components of the system.