Keeping baggage safe at Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix

As a designated US pre-clearance airport, Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix sought to expand, automate and improve its baggage handling system (BHS) as part of a wider terminal expansion. Our concept design laid the marker for improving functionality and the passenger experience.

Project facts

Client
Aruba Airport Authority
Location
Oranjestad, Aruba
Date
2017 - 2025
Challenge
Design a baggage handling system to automate a highly complex process for departing passengers
Solution
Technology evaluation, innovations and optioneering resulted in a design that was fit-for-purpose

The challenge

Baggage handling systems are the beating heart and circulatory system of every airport, with a constant flow of bags and cargo moving 24/7 to facilitate operations. Without them, everything grinds to a halt – including the passenger experience.

As passenger demand at Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix continued to grow, the Aruba Airport Authority laid out its Gateway 2030 vision – to improve the capacity and passenger experience through the redevelopment and expansion of the existing terminal building facility. More passengers bring more bags, and the existing baggage handling system (BHS) would not be able to cope. Lost luggage is every traveller’s worst fear, making upgrading the system an important element in the success of any terminal improvements.

The existing system had become inefficient, especially for US-bound passengers who had to handle their baggage twice - at check-in and again at US pre-clearance - with security screening required at both touchpoints. Our challenge was to remove bottlenecks such as these while expanding capacity for future demand.

The solution

Better screening, better tracking, better passenger experience

The new system was designed with the latest hold baggage screening systems, facilitating security screening compliant with the US Transport Security Administration (TSA) and allowing the same screening images to be used for customs pre-clearance. These improvements help Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to clear a higher percentage of baggage at primary inspection and expedite the process for most passengers.

Furthermore, the new BHS can store all bags in an individual access early baggage storage (EBS) system, until cleared by CBP officers. This flow was designed to automatically transport recalled baggage to the inspection facility when a secondary inspection was required, reducing the demand for manual handling. This automated process is also more robust, with 100% track and tracing, ultimately reducing wait times for passengers and allowing them to reach the lounge and relax sooner, with confidence that their baggage is in safe hands.

2,000 bags an hour, designed in collaboration

In our concept, the bag outputs of the BHS were ergonomically designed to reduce manual sorting and alleviate pressure on baggage handlers.
The outputs were also designed to be ready for future implementation of semi- and fully-automated baggage loading solutions. We also designed for incremental implementation, with space reserved for capacity expansions in the future. The system will ultimately be able to sort up to 2,000 bags per hour, making it one of the largest systems in the Caribbean. And it will only require a similarly-sized operations and maintenance team. Different conceptual design options were created in a BIM environment, providing quick design iterations and 3D visualisations for the client to understand the proposed solutions. This also allowed for clash-free modelling with other disciplines, including architecture, structure, and MEP.

V. Julian ChungProjects & Development Executive, Aruba Airport Authority

The result

Happy passengers = happy airport

Our system concept design – which has since been further detailed and implemented – gives passengers with hold baggage a much more seamless experience. Whether they’re making their way through US pre-clearance or departing the airport for another destination around the world.

Passengers can choose either staffed or self-service touchpoints to check-in their baggage at the departures hall, depending on their preference. The pre-clearance process is managed automatically by the BHS, so the passenger can proceed directly without worry or delay.

Passengers can relax with update notifications from their airline, as the latest baggage controls systems with reliable baggage tracking ensure that their hold baggage is processed accurately, on-time and is safely loaded onto their flight.