BEUMER Group to Design and Install State-Of-The-Art Baggage Handling System Crucial to Heathrow Airport Transformation

BEUMER Group has won the contract to design and install a state-of-the-art replacement baggage handling system (BHS) for Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 2. The six-year project is a critical stepping stone to transforming the Central Terminal Area at the UK’s global transportation hub. Once complete, the new BHS will be capable of handling 31,000 bags a day with improved resilience. Featuring new technology with better data analytics, the upgraded BHS will deliver the predictable and reliable service that customers require.

"It is with great pleasure that we have received confirmation that Heathrow has chosen BEUMER Group as the strategic partner for the design and installation of the new baggage handling system in Terminal 2,” says Ronald Willems, BEUMER Group Airport Director. "We've collaborated closely with Heathrow, in the true spirit of partnership, throughout the early stages of the process, and it's a huge honour to be selected as a partner for the T2 project. We've put all our technological vision into the design of the new state-of-the-art baggage handling system, which will be based on our CrisBag® technology, combined with our data analytics solution".

The heart of Heathrow Heathrow is the UK’s international gateway, the largest airport in Europe and the most connected hub in the world, connecting to 239 destinations in 89 countries. The airport welcomes over 200,000 passengers on roughly 1,300 flights each day, and serves as Britain’s hub for trade, tourism and investment. The BHS upgrade project is a pre-cursor to the full demolition of Terminal 1, which closed to passengers in 2015, and will unlock the huge redevelopment opportunities inside the airport’s Central Terminal Area.

Heathrow’s Chief Solutions Officer, Helen Elsby, said: “We know our customers want great and reliable journeys and that begins with having world-class facilities. Installing a new dedicated baggage system in Terminal 2 is the next stage in our plans to breathe new life into the beating heart of Heathrow. Just like home renovations, we’re improving Heathrow room by room as we continue to build the airport of tomorrow, without interrupting the passengers of today.”

While airlines and their ground handlers are responsible for the majority of a bag’s journey to the final destination, Heathrow’s baggage handling systems swiftly sort and scan up to 140,000 departing bags a day as they move between check in and the airfield. Maintaining high performance in baggage is just one of the ways Heathrow can maintain its position as a leading global hub airport and BEUMER Group is focussed on supporting this mission.

The replacement BEUMER BHS will be designed to deliver 100% tracking and traceability at every stage of the baggage handling process and features a modular approach that makes future expansion easier. In addition to passenger benefits, it will build on Heathrow’s continued commitment to give airline and ground handler partners a safe and efficient work environment, including improvements to support manual handling roles.