SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCES
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BHS SIMULATION ASSESSMENT AT PALMA DE MALLORCA
Design validation and simulation implementation for the current and future BHS (Baggage Handling System) for the expansion terminal works at Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI).
Context and clients needs
PMI is one of the airports with the highest traffic demand peaks of Europe with almost 30 million passengers in 2017. To deal with the management of these passenger peaks, AENA (the manager of general interest airports and heliports in Spain) decided to expand both the terminal area and the BHS in order to ensure a correct service of the airport.
In this context AG got the mandate to validate the on-going BHS design regarding to main aim:
- to increase its capacity to accommodate to a higher peak demand
- to adapt it to the European explosive detection regulation (no.1087/2011).
The challenge was undertaking this BHS transformation with a minimum impact in the highly demanding daily baggage operations, while keeping adequate the level of services with regards to the actual simulation of the massive BHS deployment (252 Check-in counters distributed in 7 islands, 6 tilting tray sorters and 75 carrousels/piers)
Our value added
Airport Gurus faced the validation and optimization of the BHS design with wide experience in technology and airport operations by contributing with substantial improvements on the simulation, respecting the existing operational methodology and complying all the expectations that AENA had in this regard.
In order to validate the new design and its suitability, a simulation model was specified, developed and certified, and a set of simulation runs were performed according to the working scenarios jointly defined with AENA. Specific airport processes simulation tool was used for that purpose.
Such working scenarios included:
- Regular scenarios regarding historical baggage load and traffic increase forecast
- Peak load scenarios seeking for operational limit of the complete system in terms of processed bags per hour
- Contingency scenarios introducing different failures in the different key system components and assessing the behaviour of the complete baggage process
Furthermore, the new BHS design accomplished some enhancement beyond the main aims as:
- Improvement of inspection ratios
- Reduced baggage transport time
- Risk reduction in service failures thanks to contingency measures
- Efficiency increase
- Reduction of lost luggage
Key facts
- 28 MPax per year in 2017
- 35 MPax per year expected by 2030
- Capacity and resilience increase of the BHS due to:
- 252 Check-in counters distributed in 7 islands
- 6 tilting tray sorters
- 32 Standard 3 EDS (Explosive Detection System)
- 75 carrousels/piers
- Alternative paths in the processing system for every single point of failure
Completion date: 2018
Quote of key stake-holder
- Airport Functional Support: Infrastructures dimensioning and operational areas functional design.
