With a 209% total increase in passenger volume since 2018, airport leaders at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) recognized the need to replace aging infrastructure and develop new systems to handle present and future demands. The recent installation of a new baggage screening and processing system streamlined three outdated inline setups into one operation. The Outbound Baggage Handling System/Checked Baggage Inspection System Consolidation Project was designed and executed to upgrade processes, enhance efficiency and ensure the system keeps up with SRQ’s growth.
Increased passenger traffic during recent years exposed significant limitations in the Florida airport’s previous baggage screening system. The aging equipment, installed back in 2002, had three separate inline processes—Areas A, B and C—each with its own Explosives Detection System machine and conveyor infrastructure. “Our machines were three of the oldest, if not the oldest, left in the United States,” notes Rick Piccolo, president and chief executive officer of the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority, which owns and operates SRQ. “The machines were so old, they just didn’t make the parts anymore.”
Despite periodic software updates from TSA, the previous system’s capacity was capped at about 600 bags per hour, which was insufficient for the airport’s current or future needs. The makeup units were prone to breakdowns, and the conveyors were too narrow to accommodate common oversized luggage like golf clubs.
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