Airport News
Siemens has received an order to expand the existing baggage handling system at Terminal 2 of Munich Airport. 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% after completion in late 2015.
The request for capacity expansion comes amid growing passenger numbers at Munich Airport. Terminal 2 Operating Company, a joint subsidiary of Munich Airport and Deutsche Lufthansa, placed the request for expansion with Siemens. The extension and conversion work will be performed while Terminal 2 continues to operate. The order comprises the layout, engineering, assembly, commissioning and integration of the system.
Around 18 million passengers passed through Munich Airport in the first half of 2011, over 13% more compared to the same period the previous year. Following this increase, Terminal 2 Operating Company awarded Siemens the order to expand its baggage handling system that same year. The order for the second extension stage followed one year later, deemed necessary due to continued rises in passenger numbers, which were attributed to the new satellite building built at Terminal 2. The new satellite building enabled Munich Airport to handle up to 11 million more passengers 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,” said Christian Wallner, executive board member, Terminal 2 Operating Company.
The system requires less than 25 minutes to transfer an item of baggage from one parked aircraft to another. The conveyor belts were originally over 40km 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 25km per hour.
Siemens' delivery for the three phases comprises the extension of the existing baggage handling system by another 15km 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, Siemens will deliver 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.
“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," said Jörg Ernst, CEO of Siemens Business Unit Logistics and Airport Solutions.
Siemens designed and built the baggage handling system for Munich Airport’s Terminal 2 that went into operation in 2003 as a consortium leader. Since 2010, Siemens has also been responsible for maintaining the mechanical, electrical and control components of the system.
