8,000 bags an hour: Tote-based system to double processing capacity, Calgary airport says
David Bell | CBC News | Posted: July 19, 2018 11:49 PM | Last Updated: July 19, 2018
System already used in international terminal expands to domestic, could slash energy bill by 60%
A new baggage processing system will double the Calgary airport's capacity to 8,000 bags per hour, a spokesperson said Thursday at a behind the scenes tour, while slashing energy use by about 60 per cent compared to the older conveyor belt system.
"When you check in, your bag is matched with a tote that is like a tray, with an ID and a chip that we can track," said terminal construction director Ivonne Gamboa.
Calgary will be the first airport in Canada to use the technology from the Denmark-based company, which is in use in a few European airports, she said.
The tote-based system is already in use in the international terminal which opened in October 2016. The domestic expansion cost about $150 million.
Gamboa says the expansion, which goes live for most passengers on Tuesday, is one of 16 projects in an overall package of improvements pegged at about $400 million. WestJet will be added to the system in 2019.
The Calgary airport serves about 17 million passengers each year.
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With files from Radio Canada's Audrey Neveu