London Heathrow Airport’s roll out of self-service bag drop (SSBD) units is gathering pace with over 100 Series 1 Type 2 units live as airlines in Terminals 2, 3 and 5 rapidly embrace the new technology.

Designed and installed by ICM Airport Technics, the SSBD units reduce passenger check-in times, and are currently in use by Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Croatia Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Finnair, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, TAP Air Portugal, and Virgin Atlantic.

In early 2018 a framework agreement was signed between ICM and Heathrow for collaboration on an integrated SSBD product for use in all Heathrow terminals. This campus-wide implementation sees ICM delivering the units, complete with CUSS platform and White Label application, as well as providing a range of managed support services.

This installation is part of a larger automation programme offering self-service options to passengers.  Heathrow’s automation programme includes an ambitious biometrics project, which will see biometrics used across the passenger journey, including bag drop.

Heathrow announced in October their plans for biometrics which will see £50m invested and is aiming for an initial roll out from mid-2019, which will ultimately be part of ‘the world’s largest deployment of biometrically enabled products including bag drops and self-boarding gates’.

Prior to the installation of the Type 2 units, ICM’s SSBD technology was already in use at Heathrow with 24 Series 1 Type 1 units in operation at Terminal 5 with British Airways.

This news comes on the back of a successful year for ICM with multiple bag drop deployments at Singapore Changi, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly, Marseilles Provence, Sydney International, Shanghai Hongqiao International, as well as further significant developments in Japan and China.

Mike Sanderson, managing director of ICM UK commented: “We are thrilled by Heathrow’s adoption of ICM’s self-service bag drop technology, and proud to be at the forefront of technological advancements at the world’s best-known airport. Having such a large presence at yet another world class airport confirms ICM’s position as a leader in the self-service bag drop market.”