Video: Flying out of Dubai? Here's what happens to your bags after you check them in

Dubai - Khaleej Times goes behind the scenes to show Dubai International's massive baggage handling system - one of the largest in the world.

Dubai International (DXB) is one of the world's busiest airports and its baggage handling system plays a crucial role in attracting travelers and keeping them happy. According to Airports Council International, Dubai International has been ranked as the world's number one airport for international passengers for the fourth consecutive year. Average monthly traffic volumes have remained high in 2018 at 7.4 million passengers.
The airport handled 52,770,675 bags in 2017 - a five per cent increase from 50,271,040 bags in 2016. That's a huge spike from 42,035,841 bags handled by Dubai International in 2014. In the first six months of 2018 alone, the airport handled 26,228,297 bags.  
Ever wondered how these millions of bags move from one point to another as fast as the travelers? Khaleej Times went behind-the-scenes to explore Dubai international's intricate baggage handling system at Terminal 3. 
"Dubai International provides one of the most sophisticated baggage systems in the world," John Dyett, Head of Baggage Operations at Dubai Airports said. "With a capacity of handling 15,000 bags per hour, the system is one of the largest in the world. In Terminal 3 alone, we handle approximately about 110,000 bags every single day. During our busy five-hour peak time, we handle about 45,000 bags. In a single hour, we handle upto 13,000 bags. In Terminal 1, we handle 30,000 to 32,000 bags every day and in Terminal 2, we handle upto 28,000 bags," he added. 
The baggage handling system covers a surface area equivalent to 75 football fields and is spread across six storeys underground.
Watch: 

 
Here's how it works 
At check-in 
As a passenger checks in, they get their seat numbers and baggage tags are produced. Then the check-in agent takes the bags and places two tags on them. The bag is transferred according to the information contained on the barcode.
As the bags are transferred from the check-in counters to the baggage system, they are 100 per cent security screened.
The tray system 
The bags are then moved from the conveyer belt onto separate yellow trays. The trays are tracked throughout the system and the bags are delivered to the makeup area or the early bags store.
"Each tray has a unique identifier and it is continuously tracked by the computer. So we know where the trays are the whole time. We also know what bag is on the tray, if there's a bag on the tray. So we use that information to always make sure that the bags are delivered to the right location," Dyett added.
There are 16,000 to 17,000 trays in the baggage handling system. 
Early bags store 
Each of the bags at the early bags store are waiting for the flight gates to open. Dubai International has a capacity to hold 4,000 to 5,000 bags in its 'dynamic' early bags store and 15,000 bags in its 'static' early bags store until the flight gate opens and the bags are discharged. 
Discharging the bags
When the flight gates open, the bags are discharged onto the makeup carousel to be loaded into the ULDs (unit load devices) to be placed onto the aircraft. A staff member scans the barcode again to make sure it gets to the right flight when he loads it into the container. 
Baggage control room 
A giant screen in the baggage control room showing lines of different colours depicts the baggage handling system. The colours show where the baggage lines are alive, where they have stopped, where there's a fault and where they are busy.   The airport staff constantly monitor the screen and they can make decisions on how to best manage the baggage handling system.
Always be on time 
The baggage handling system is 140km long - almost the distance from Dubai to Abu Dhabi - and it's powered by approximately 28,000 motors. On an average, a bag takes 20 minutes to enter the system and be discharged at the correct location.
"Most airlines close their check-in counters for passengers with bags 60 minutes before the flight time. It doesn't always take 60 minutes for the bags to transfer through the system. But the passengers would want to get there a little bit early to make sure you and your bag travel on the same flight," Dyett added.
nilanjana@khaleejtimes.com 
 

Number of bags handled by Dubai International (by year) 2014:    42,035,841 2015:    46,028,731 2016:    50,271,040 2017:    52,770,675 2018:    26,228,297 *January - June

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