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SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 1977
HONG KONG AIRPORT INSTALLS COMPUTERISED
BAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEM *****
A NEW SEMI-AUTOMATED BAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEM WITH A COMPUTERISED SORTATION COMPLEX HAS BEEN INSTALLED AT THE DEPARTURES LEVEL OF THE AIRPORT'S EXTENDED PASSENGER TERMINAL WHICH WILL OPEN TOMORROW (MONDAY).
AT THE SAME TIME, TWO NEW CONVEYORISED BAGGAGE UNITS HAVE BEEN FITTED IN THE BAGGAGE RECLAIM HALL AT THE ARRIVALS LEVEL IN THE NEW EXTENSION.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY BAGGAGE HANDLING PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN PASSENGER PROCESSING A FACTOR VITAL TO EFFICIENT OPERATION OF AN AIRPORT, AND KAI TAK, LIKE OTHER MAJOR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS, IS ATTENDING TO AN EVER-INCREASING NUMBER OF AIR TRAVELLERS.
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THE SEMI-AUTOMATED BAGGAGE SYSTEM WILL MEET PASSENGER NEEDS AND MAINTAIN THE EFFICIENCY ACHIEVED IN PASSENGER HANDLING, HE SAID.
THE SYSTEM WILL SERVE ALL 24 CHECK-IN COUNTERS IN TWO ISLANDS AT THE NEW DEPARTURES HALL. EACH COUNTER IS INSTALLED WITH AN ELECTRONIC CONVEYOR WEIGHSCALE WHICH FEEDS BAGGAGE DIRECTLY ONTO TWO LATERALLY RUN CONVEYOR BELTS, THE BAGGAGE IS THEN DELIVERED TO THE COMPUTERISED SORTATION SYSTEM AT THE BASEMENT THROUGH VERTICAL CONVEYORS.
ONCE IN THE BASEMENT, THE BAGGAGE PASSES THROUGH ONE OF FOUR SORTATION STATIONS WHERE AN OPERATOR DIRECTS EACH BAG TO A PRE-ALLOCATED LOADING SPUR. IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC SYSTEM, PROVISION IS ALSO MADE FOR INTERLINE AND OUTSIZE, HEAVY AND VULNERABLE BAGGAGE.
TWO VERTICAL CONVEYORS ARE FITTED FOR EACH CHECK-IN ISLAND TO PROVIDE A DUPLICATION IN CASE OF CONVEYOR FAILURE.
THE TIME FROM ACCEPTANCE OF A BAG TO SORTATION VARIES FROM THREE TO SEVEN MINUTES, DEPENDING ON THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CHECK- IN COUNTER AND THE SORTATION STATION IN USE.
A JAM DETECTION DEVICE WHICH SOUNDS AN ALARM IN THE CONTROL ROOM AND INDICATES THE LOCATION OF THE JAM WHEN A BAG BECOMES STATIONARY FOR OVER 10 SECONDS DURING DELIVERY IS PROVIDED TO PERMIT RAPID ATTENTION WITH MINIMUM EFFECT ON BAGGAGE FLOW.
AN ESSENTIAL FEATURE OF THIS BAGGAGE SYSTEM IS THAT WHEREVER POSSIBLE FLEXIBILITY AND DUPLICATION OF MAJOR FUNCTIONS HAVE BEEN BUILT IN TO ENABLE ANOTHER PART OF THE SYSTEM TO TAKE THE LOAD, OR FOR IT TO BE TEMPORARILY CIRCUMVENTED BY MANUAL HANDLING.
THE SYSTEM, COSTING MORE THAN $12 MILLION, WILL ULTIMATELY BE CAPABLE OF HANDLING UP TO 6,000 PIECES OF BAGGAGE AN HOUR, WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO A BUSY HOUR RATE OF 3,200 DEPARTING PASSENGERS.
THE TWC