Alstef Group to Deliver Additional BHS Capacity at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow

Alstef Group has been delivering innovative baggage handling technologies to Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow since 2015. The airport’s latest requirement was to prepare a transit hub for Aeroflot, Russia’s largest airline, by creating a high-speed baggage transfer system to connect domestic Terminal B to international Terminal C1 known as the ‘North Hub’.

The Sheremetyevo Airport baggage system handles a large amount of Aeroflot transfer bags for passengers flying from other parts of Russia – transiting through Sheremetyevo – to reach destinations in Europe and Asia. The existing infrastructure includes a high-speed Individual Carrier System (ICS) connecting the two terminals, but this same system also connects the North Hub to the South Hub of the airport (terminals D, E, and F) and it has a limited capacity which is already fully utilized in its current service.

Sheremetyevo has chosen an Alstef Group solution to provide additional transfer capacity to the airport, and through years of ongoing partnership trusts Alstef Group to deliver the system with minimal disruption to the ongoing airport operations.

The solution will create a new connection between Terminal B and Terminal C1 through the delivery of two-way high-speed conveyor lines connecting the existing tilt-tray sortation systems within each terminal. It includes modifications to the BAGWARE – software control solution – that will allow the existing ICS transfer system and the new conveyor transfer system to operate as one complete integrated system. The solution also includes plans for increased redundancy to the existing ICS system, sort system modifications, and the addition of two new transfer lines connected to the screening facilities in Terminal B.

In addition, Alstef Group will further develop its BAGWARE solution to enable simultaneous management of the Early Bag Store (EBS) systems of both North Hub terminals. This will allow transfer bags to be stored at the most convenient EBS of either Terminal B or Terminal C1 based on availability and the load activity of the sub-systems.

“Both Terminal B and Terminal C1 have baggage handling capacity for 20 million PAX thanks to the prior completion of Alstef Group baggage handling projects” states Philippe Hamon, Alstef Automation Head of Airport Sales. “This project will deliver the transfer system integration and increased transfer bag capacity needed to provide the airport and Aeroflot with fast and efficient, expanded connectivity between the two terminals without impacting the capacity and operations of the existing systems” continues Philippe.

The project will begin in Q4 2021 and is due for completion by October 2022.