Sheffield based Geo Robson secured a contract to replace the hold baggage system (HBS) at Jersey Airport. The project is currently underway and will be completed by early May 2011, with approximately 62,000 aircraft movements and 1.46 million passengers annually at the airport, speed and reliability of the baggage system is essential.

The HBS is an automated mechanical system that carries checked-in baggage through a screening and sorting process ready to be loaded onboard an aircraft. Although this process is not visible to the travelling public it is a vital element of air travel today and fulfils security regulations that require all baggage and cargo to be X-ray screened.

The current system, which was installed in 1997 as part of the development of the departures terminal, has now reached the end of its working life and is beyond economic repair. This situation is further exacerbated by the fact that sourcing spares in the event of a mechanical breakdown is becoming increasingly difficult and very expensive. At the same time, the three X-ray machines in the sorting area will also be upgraded to meet new regulatory requirements.

The £1.5m HBS project at Jersey shows the success of the Robson’s baggage handling and screening integration system with exceptional sales in the first quarter of 2011.

Robson airport project manager, Ian Davies stated: “With the extra anti terrorism security measures that have been implemented by the airport authorities, Robson’s integrated hold baggage screening systems have proved successful. In providing systems that allow fast scanning with minimal delays for passengers.”

The complex logistics of supplying the airport with the three X-Ray Machines, 50 baggage conveyors, 2-25m carousels, a two vertical sorter and a plough diverter, meant a stream of 25, 40ft wagons transported the conveyors from the Robson factory in Darnall, Sheffield to the airport in Jersey, all of which arrived on time and in order to allow the staged build to progress seamlessly.