Airport logistics Siemens to supply baggage handling system for new terminal at Incheon Airport
Siemens, together with the South Korean company Posco, has been awarded the contract for a baggage handling system in the new Terminal 2 of Incheon Airport in South Korea. The system will have a throughput capacity of more than 22,000 items of baggage per hour. The contract covers the layout, engineering, assembly, commissioning, and integration of the system, as well as connecting it to the existing baggage handling system. Completion is planned in September 2017 in time for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
At around 40 million passengers a year, Incheon Airport is one of Asia's ten biggest airports, offering 88 airlines to 174 domestic and international destinations. In response to rising passenger numbers, Incheon International Airport Corporation is now building the new Terminal 2. Once the terminal has been completed, the airport will be able to handle up to 62 million passengers a year.
Siemens will supply a complete baggage handling system for the new terminal. With a total conveyor belt length of around 42 kilometers, the system will use tray and belt conveyors to transport the baggage. Included in the system to be supplied by Siemens is the installation of 14 make-up carousels as well as 18 laterals for final sortation, over 216 check-in counters for the departures area, and ten baggage carousels in the arrivals area. In addition, there will be an early baggage storage facility for 2,000 units, which will provide interim storage for items of baggage and allow individual access to bulky items.
The minimum connecting time for Incheon International Airport, which guarantees that the baggage is transferred to the connecting flight, is only 45 minutes. The system, which will be controlled using IT and automation systems, will be integrated into the existing infrastructure.
In 2008, Siemens had already upgraded the baggage handling systems in the satellite terminal of Incheon Airport. The company was the technology leader in the consortium at the time. With a total conveyor belt length of around 88 kilometers, this system can handle up to 56,500 items of baggage per hour. In addition, Siemens has been responsible for IT support since the system came on stream in 2008.