A €21m baggage handling system upgrade began today, October 10, at Henri Coandă Airport in Bucharest, Romania.

The project will take two years and will see the replacement of the airport’s hold baggage procession system, which was installed almost two decades ago. The system, which will be replaced by Alstef, includes the check-in area, the baggage carousels and related conveyor belts, as well as the equipment for the automatic security control of checked baggage.

During the works, the two check-in "islands" at the airport (each with 52 counters) will be closed one at a time, while those in the new area of the airport will operate at maximum capacity.

On completion of the work, baggage processing capacity in departures will increase by 40% and 12 self-service drop-off counters will be available.

According to operator CN Aeroporturi Bucharest, the initial period of the project will be the most challenging, with capacity reduced by 25% from October 2022 to August 2023. Once the first check-in area has been upgraded, capacity will return to 100% of current levels, before reaching 140% on completion of the second zone.

CN Aeroporturi Bucharest will work with the handling agencies and other stakeholders to minimise disruption during the project.

Image: Bucharest Airport