Miami-Dade County and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) this week formally unveiled Miami International Airport’s (MIA) new $324 million state-of-the-art, fully automated baggage handling system that doubles the speed and efficiency of baggage screening and delivery in MIA’s Central and South terminals.
The system, which was partially funded by a $101 million TSA grant, features nine miles of conveyor belt and 12 new CTX 9800 explosives detection system machines. The upgraded system also has 102 mobile inspection tables (MIT) in an 18,000-square-foot baggage reconciliation area – one of the world’s largest airport installations of automated guided vehicle (AGV) technology.
The MITs autonomously receive bags that require additional screening and deliver them via a guided floor track to 52 TSA inspection stations – eliminating lifting and pulling by TSA officers, improving tracking accuracy, reducing noise pollution and increasing the overall speed of the bag screening process.
“We are proud to partner with the TSA on this cutting-edge facility, which is one of many enhancements coming soon as part of our airport-wide renovation and expansion,” says Lester Sola, MIA director and CEO. “Improvements like the new baggage handling system will help MIA maintain its position as the busiest airport in Florida for international passengers.”
The new system can screen and transport more than 7,000 bags per hour – double the capacity of the previous two separate and outdated systems for concourses F, G, H and J. Eighteen airlines are already using the new system, with 30 more airlines scheduled to make the transition between now and mid-2020.
