Luggage Handling System and Luggage Hotel at Istanbul Airport

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by Nisa Nur Doğan

How is our Luggage Transported?

After completing the check-in process at the counters, have you ever wondered about the journey of the baggage you hand over? Once you check in your baggage, it is first tagged and registered to ensure it belongs to you. This tag allows your baggage to be tracked throughout its journey.

After tagging, your baggage is placed on a conveyor belt and sent through an X-ray machine for a security check. Bags that pass this security screening are scanned again to ensure they are directed to the correct aircraft. For your baggage to be loaded onto the aircraft, you must present your boarding pass to the relevant airline staff. If a passenger does not board the flight, their checked baggage is not loaded onto the aircraft under any circumstances.

Source: Boardinginfo

After you complete your journey safely with your baggage loaded onto the plane, your baggage that boarded the plane before you is taken off the plane in the same way with the help of the officers before you and is included in the baggage transportation system. In this system, the luggage, whose labels are read again, is delivered to you from the baggage claim points where you wait at the airport and completes its journey.

Luggage Handling System at Istanbul Airport

Source: Anadolu Ajansı


So how does the baggage handling system work at Istanbul Airport, the 5th busiest airport in the world? If you want, let’s look at it together. Istanbul Airport has a huge 42-kilometer-long baggage transportation system that can reach from Taksim to Tuzla when added end to end.  This baggage system, which has a length of 42 kilometers and a processing capacity of 10,800 bags per hour, ensures that the baggage collected from 13 check-in counters can be delivered to the passengers without loss of time.

Source: IGA

Yusuf Akçayoğlu, the CEO of IGA Airports Construction, made the following statement about the critical role of the baggage system at airports:

“When all phases are completed, the Istanbul New Airport project will have a capacity to handle 200 million passengers annually and offer flights to over 350 destinations. The baggage system is of particular importance for this project. It will provide a seamless experience for passengers, minimizing the waiting time for luggage at the airport. The system spans a distance equivalent to the length between Taksim and Tuzla, with a total length of 42 kilometers. For its installation, 3,300 tons of steel and 650 kilometers of cabling were used. Baggage sorting and storage will be managed with 170 specialized microprocessor-based smart devices. The system will be able to process 30,000 bags per hour. Additionally, our terminal building will feature 13 check-in islands and 468 points where passengers can drop off their luggage and complete their check-in process.”

Luggage Hotel

If you are one of those who arrive at the airport early, the process for you becomes much more interesting. Your luggage, which you give early, starts its journey thanks to the Early Luggage System activated at Istanbul Airport and completes its journey at the luggage hotels. Thanks to these hotels, which have a luggage storage capacity of 10,800, you will be able to deliver your luggage early to stay at the luggage hotels, even if you arrive early. At the same time, in case of a delay, your luggage will be accommodated in these luggage hotels instead of being crowded in the lines. Thanks to 48 early baggage storage robots in the system, the chances of losing the luggage placed on the shelves and taken from the shelves and included in the system are reduced to zero.

Source: IGA

Yusuf Akçayoğlu, the CEO of IGA Airports Construction, made the following statement regarding baggage hotels:

“With our baggage system, we will surpass many airports worldwide. For instance, we have a baggage storage capacity of 10,800 units. This means that passengers arriving early at the airport will be able to drop off their luggage at any time they wish. Additionally, in case of any potential delays, we will not face any space shortages for storing baggage. Baggage will be placed on shelves by 48 early baggage storage robots. Moreover, the system includes a total of 28 passenger baggage claim carousels, 10 of which are domestic and 18 are international. Eight of these carousels will have the capacity to sort baggage for larger aircraft (F and E series). Furthermore, we also have 48 baggage separation carousels for sorting outbound luggage according to flight schedules.”

High Security Low Loss

Luggage collected from 13 check-in counters is checked by a total of 24 tomography devices throughout the entire process. Suspicious baggage arrives at the control areas through the red band, where suspicious baggage proceeds, for human control. After the necessary checks, baggage that does not show any suspicion is re-entered into the system. The entire system has the capacity to sort 30,000 bags within 1 hour. Thanks to the Baggage Handling System, which has an integrated structure where each baggage is identified and begins its own journey, baggage loss rates are almost non-existent.

References

https://www.igairport.aero/tr/basin-bultenleri/istanbul-yeni-havalimani-bagaj-sistemi-taksimden-tuzlaya-kadar-uzaniyor

İstanbul Yeni Havalimanı Bagaj Taşıma Sistemi

herkesicinhavacilik.com/2021/08/06/bagaj-tasima-sistemi-nedir/

https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/turkiye/istanbul-havalimanina-42-kilometrelik-bagaj-sistemi/1299823

Pictures: pexels.com, boardinginfo.com, aa.com.tr, iga.aero,

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