Copenhagen Airport’s baggage sorting system

Milestones

Construction began on the baggage sorting building/system: February 1996.
Arriving baggage section opened: July 1998
Departure and transfer baggage section opened: January 1999

Price

Price of baggage sorting building/system: DKK 400 million.

Arriving baggage

All arriving baggage at Copenhagen Airport is unloaded in the new baggage sorting building and is then conveyed to the baggage reclaim hall by a separate system. This means that the belts on which arriving baggage is unloaded and conveyed are not connected to the new system.

Departing baggage

The baggage sorting system handles all locally departing and transfer baggage.

EU regulation on ground handling

The baggage sorting facility at Copenhagen Airport falls under the airport’s “centralised structure” as defined by the EU. This means that the handling companies are not each permitted to have their own baggage sorting facility, Copenhagen Airports A/S instead making the machinery and system available for use by all the handling companies. There is no cap on the number of operating handling companies that are allowed to use the baggage sorting facility. Copenhagen Airport must be and is able to process all baggage handled by all companies.

The role of the Danish Working Environment Service

The Danish Working Environment Service was involved in the entire planning process in connection with the construction of the hall and facility and thus had the opportunity to comment on the design of the project – which they certainly did. They focused on working postures (ergonomics) in particular, as well as potential problems in the new facility design, for instance that suitcases and bags might slide down the chute too quickly and hit someone. However, this had been taken into account, with “braking curtains” (i.e. a kind of brake block) set up between the upper sorting machine and the chute. For security reasons, a horn also sounds when the belts begin operating. In order to ensure that people’s working postures are ergonomically correct, “hoist systems” were installed so that baggage workers do not have to bend or turn incorrectly: the hoist system handles all lifting of baggage.

Before the brake curtains were installed, SAS considered the safety risk too high, so transfer baggage handling was moved back to the Grejoe facility.

Test runs

The airport tested the system all through the spring of 1998 in order to minimise any problems that might occur once the new facility was opened. As always, it was difficult to see how it would actually work until “the real thing” was on the belt, and this was also our experience.

100% security screening
Starting 1 September 1999, all baggage checked in at Copenhagen Airport has been 100% security screened, as required by the EU. Transit baggage is subjected to random spot checks only.