Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics (SPPAL) has received an order to modernise and expand Terminal 1’s baggage handling system at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.
The company helps the airport operator to expand its capacities and further improve passenger convenience. Around 38 million passengers passed through Hongqiao in 2014, making it the most important domestic airport in Shanghai. With 24 million people, the business metropolis in Eastern China is one of the world’s largest cities.
SPPAL CEO Michael Reichle said: "We are proud of this strategically important project in Shanghai. This order shows that our experience and know-how is in great demand in the Chinese airport market. We help airlines and airports to cope with the enormous passenger growth in China and increase their efficiency and competitiveness."
Shanghai Airport Authority Group vice general manager Dai Xiao Jian said: "In the first half of 2015, for the first time, the two Shanghai airports overtook Beijing as China’s largest aviation hub.
"The modernisation of the baggage handling system will make a decisive contribution toward establishing and further extending this position."
As part of the modernisation and expansion, Siemens will plan, supply, and integrate a state-of-the-art baggage handling system in Terminal 1 of Hongqiao Airport. The scope of supply includes 87 check-ins, nine carousels in the arrival area, and seven carousels in the make-up area, where the baggage is prepared for flights.
Siemens will also install conveyor belts with a total length of 1,400m, a programmable logic controller (PLC), and a SCADA system for computer-based monitoring and control of all technical processes. The customer will benefit from Siemens providing all services from a single source.
The conversion work is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2019. Throughout the entire modernisation, Siemens will ensure that regular airport operations run smoothly, and that passengers do not notice the conversion activities.
Siemens has already successfully completed a series of major airport projects in China. Among the most recent successes are the baggage handling system in Terminal 3 of Beijing International Airport, and projects at Wuhan Tianhe and Xi’an Xianyang international airports. In Shanghai, Siemens has carried out the IT integration at Pudong International Airport.
Hongqiao Airport offers a number of international destinations in addition to its domestic flights. It added a second terminal and runway in 2010 to cope with large passenger growth.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), China will overtake the US by 2030 to have the highest passenger numbers in the world. It is estimated that around 1.3 billion passengers will travel by air to, from and within China in 2034. This would be 850 million more than in 2014.