Groupe ADP is currently redesigning and reconfiguring its Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports’ baggage handling systems (BHS) as all European hold baggage screening must be upgraded to Standard 3-approved explosives detection systems (EDS) by March 2023.
By BEUMER Group
We talked with Emmanuel Lefevre, the Director of Terminal and BHS Projects at Groupe ADP, about both the challenges and opportunities that are presented in upgrading hold baggage screening systems and BHS.
Groupe ADP is the owner of the Paris airports, Orly and Charles de Gaulle. As such, it is in charge of airport development and implementing the HBS and BHS upgrades.
The upgrade project for the Paris airports, begins Lefevre, has been a massive deployment comprising:
The purpose of the EDS3 upgrade is to detect higher levels of threat and lower false alarm rates, relying in the main on Computed Tomography (CT-scan) using the modern and more powerful x-ray systems than those in the preceding Standard 2.
The requirements for the upgrade, in terms of the legislative framework, benchmarking and ideation started in 2014 and were initially expected to be completed by September 2020 according to the EU regulations, says Lefevre. Due to the impact of the Covid pandemic, however, that deadline could not be met and the upgrade was extended to March 2023. In reality, however, the upgrade is now expected to be delivered in full by 2025.
As Lefevre notes, the upgrade of the Paris airports hold baggage screening systems has been challenging. It has had to be conducted during running operations and in conjunction with other passenger terminal revamping projects.
The new EDS3 screening equipment also has, he adds, some inherent constraints, making the task even more demanding.
EDS3 are bigger, heavier and more expensive than earlier-generation screening equipment. They also take longer to do their job. While an examination using EDS2 technology could be completed in 18 seconds per bag, EDS3 now takes 70 seconds.
In addition, continues Lefevre:
“The EDS3 has involved major redevelopment work and construction of new sorting areas. We had to reinforce the frameworks and structures of the buildings. We also had to adapt the routing and maintenance requirements of the BHS and modify the baggage conveying circuits.”
According to the new EU regulation, uncleared bags have to undergo a more detailed examination and this can be achieved if the screener is provided with more time to analyse the images, possibly generated by another EDS3.
With that in mind, says Lefevre, ADP conducted two evaluations.
The first, in 2013, was of the available EDS3 and involved three different EDS3s. It measured KPIs, throughput, auto-rejection rates, tracking lost rates, screener analysis time and rates of cleared and rejected bags.
The second evaluation, in 2017, involved the use of an additional inspection by EDS3 immediately following an analysis by RTT110/a Standard 2-approved EDS and involved four different EDS3s. It measured the ability to detect detonators in specific configurations, KPIs, false alarm rates, the number of cleared primary control false alarms and the number of other false alarms produced by the additional control.
The evaluations resulted in ADP deciding to implement two types of architecture for its hold baggage screening at the Paris airports. Lefevre explains it this way:
According to Lefevre, while the second option is easier because it involves fewer machines inside the BHS, it also means possible errors in the EDS analysis and lost-in-tracking bags have to be mitigated.
Despite the significant challenges, Lefevre says there are many opportunities to be gained from upgrading security screening systems that no longer meet government regulations. He elaborates:
“Implementing Standard 3 has given us the opportunity to totally refurbish some of our legacy BHS that had been in operation for decades and reached the end of their life cycles.”
The brand new facility, Lefevre continues, has meant:
“ … we can now offer Air France and Skyteam Air Alliance, for example, more effective handling of short-connecting (transfer) bags. Having operated previously on three different BHSs, all baggage is now gathered in one facility, being more effective in both performance and cost.”
The EDS3 upgrade has also delivered significant energy savings for the Paris airports. While legacy systems have to be running all the time, only the active parts of these advanced systems need to be running, while the rest of the system can remain dormant.
Mandatory upgrades are costly and potentially extremely disruptive to airport operations. Lefevre shares these pointers for any airport contemplating a significant upgrade of its hold baggage screening systems and BHS:
