Vanderlande has showcased the developments of its FLEET baggage handling system at the ACI Asia-Pacific / World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition (WAGA) at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).

This follows on from the partnership agreement that was signed between Vanderlande and Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) that focuses on trialling the latest autonomous guided vehicle technology in the baggage handling process at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) with regards to improving quality, efficiency and flexibility.

The show is one of the aviation industry’s flagship events and brought together senior representatives on 2-4 April to discuss the ways in which the market is evolving. Vanderlande presented FLEET, its flexible and scalable solution for future-proof baggage logistics.

By utilising intelligent autonomous vehicle technology, the baggage process can be made more effective and changes can be made easily. With FLEET, vehicle routes can be adapted easily in the software. An additional benefit of the solution is its data-driven architecture, which enables cross-site learning and continuous improvement, driving operational performance on a daily basis.

FLEET offers a full end-to-end service solution, which allows airports to benefit from flexible and adaptive capacity for the lifetime of the system. It consumes up to 50% less energy compared to traditional baggage handling systems and its design means that vehicles can be recycled.

“We are excited to be at the show in Hong Kong, as Vanderlande recently agreed a joint innovation partnership with HKIA,” says Vanderlande’s executive vice-president airports and member of the board Andrew Manship. “This will focus on applying the latest autonomous vehicle technology in the baggage handling process at the airport with regards to improving quality, efficiency and flexibility.

“The partnership will also enable us to further develop FLEET in the real-world environment of one of the world’s busiest airports. We’re delighted with the progress that we’ve made with FLEET recently. For example, it has already begun live operations in Europe, at Rotterdam The Hague Airport. That was a major milestone for us, as we were able to validate its reliability in live operations. By the end of the summer, we will have installed various FLEET systems at airports around the world.”