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Vanderlande and airport operator Avinor have entered into an innovation partnership to explore opportunities for the complete automation of the last mile of the baggage handling process. Vanderlande is providing two innovative solutions – BAGLOAD for integrated robotic loading and FLEET Batch for the transport of ULDs. These solutions will be tested at Oslo Gardermoen Airport in Norway. The goal of this partnership is to improve the efficiency and reliability of baggage handling, benefiting the entire airport industry.
(Veghel) Avinor received funding of approximately 15 million NOK (1.3 million Euros) after Innovation Norway selected its project proposal. The airport operator chose Vanderlande as its technology partner through a tender process, and the newly established innovation partnership will run from August 2023 to November 2024. The two companies have a long-standing partnership that dates back to 1994, when Vanderlande delivered the first baggage handling system (BHS) for Oslo Gardermoen Airport.
The goal of the innovation partnership is to automate the part of the baggage handling process that has remained unchanged for over 50 years. Unloading baggage from the BHS into the containers designated for the aircraft is currently a labor-intensive and costly process. According to Avinor, about 50% of baggage handling costs are attributed to these activities in the last mile.
Testing Phase at Oslo Airport Begins in September 2024
The initial phases will take place at Vanderlande’s testing facilities in Veghel (Netherlands) and will involve further development and prototyping of the technologies according to the project mandate. Starting in September 2024, the two products will be tested at Oslo Airport for three months, where Avinor has set up a dedicated project testing center. This facility is connected to the BHS, allowing evaluations to be conducted in a real “live” environment.
“The main goal of our innovation partnership is to increase the efficiency of the baggage handling process while eliminating the repetitive heavy lifting currently performed by baggage handling staff,” explains Ole Petter Storstad, Director of Technology and Infrastructure at Avinor. “We look forward to collaborating with Vanderlande, whose current state of the art gives us the confidence that a viable solution can be developed and implemented across the industry.”
Collaboration Will Drive Development Work
“We are very excited about the collaboration with Avinor on this ambitious project, and I believe that Avinor’s decision is a recognition of our strong focus on automating the entire baggage handling process,” says Andrew Manship, Executive Vice President Airport and Parcel Solutions and board member of Vanderlande. “The collaboration will drive our development work, and a successful outcome will benefit airlines, handling companies, and all individuals currently performing challenging manual tasks.”
Photo: © Vanderlande
