Airports

New baggage handling system to be installed in Brussels Airport

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Brussels Airport is to install a new baggage system that will be completed in two years, as said it has been beset by problems to the current system this summer.

The Belgian gateway said 2.25 million bags were processed in July, of which 10,000 could not be shipped immediately.

Brussels Airport said the first part of the summer was marked by three incidents in the baggage handling system, including an IT problem on 13 July.

The airport said: “Given this very high level of complexity (the system has more than 6,000 engines), it is unfortunately not possible to achieve a 100% reliability level, but our teams carry out very thorough daily controls to reduce the risk of incidents to a minimum.

“The baggage handling system is regularly updated from year to year. In addition, in 2017, a major project (100 million Euros) to develop this system was launched, including the installation of new hold baggage screening machines of the latest generation at the heart of baggage handling and the construction of an additional 10,000 m² to optimise luggage flows. The work will be completed in 2021.”

In July, Brussels Airport welcomed more than 2.7 million passengers, representing a 2.7 per cent increase compared to July 2018, and above all making July 2019 the busiest month in Brussels Airport’s history.

The number of local passengers increased by 2.5 per cent compared to July 2019. The number of transfer passengers increased by 4.4 per cent compared to the same month last year. This latest growth confirms Brussels Airport’s important role as a hub within the Star Alliance network.

Long-haul traffic increased by four per cent in July, thanks in particular to the strong growth of Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines and United Airlines.

For short-haul flights, the strongest growth was recorded at Brussels Airlines, Ryanair, TAP Air Portugal, Aeroflot, Lufthansa, SAS, Air Arabia, Finnair, Iberia, Vueling and airBaltic.

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