Brasília Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport has awarded the contract for a new baggage handling system to Vanderlande Industries. The project, with a value of around €12 million, covers the airport’s check-in and baggage reclaim areas. As one of Brazil’s most important airports for domestic flights, Brasília International Airport is also increasing its international flights serving destinations in the Latin America region and Europe.

The contract for this new system was awarded to Vanderlande Industries because of the company’s competitive proposal and its experience with the baggage handling system projects at two other major airports in Brazil which are currently in progress at São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport and Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport.

Increasing numbers of daily flights and passenger traffic handled meant that the airport has reached the capacity limits of its existing baggage handling system. The installation phase of the project has just started, with the first two flat carousels installed and in operation. The new system will be fully operational before the 2014 FIFA Word Cup.

The new system for Brasília International Airport includes 83 check-in desks and 12 transfer desks check-in counters with 5 make-up carousels, together with a new state-of-the-art automatic sortation system. The 4 flat carousels for international arriving flights and 7 tilted carousels for arriving domestic flights will use friction drive technology. The system also includes a series of conveyor belts to transport the checked baggage to the 5 make-up carousels with automatic tag readers. Currently the airport has 73 check-in counters and 8 flat carrousels for arriving baggage.