8,000 bags an hour: Tote-based system to double processing capacity, Calgary airport says

A new baggage processing system will double the Calgary airport's capacity to 8,000 bags per hour, a spokesperson said Thursday at a behind the scenes tour, while slashing energy use by about 60 per cent compared to the older conveyor belt system.

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"When you check in, your bag is matched with a tote that is like a tray, with an ID and a chip that we can track," said terminal construction director Ivonne Gamboa.

Calgary will be the first airport in Canada to use the technology from the Denmark-based company, which is in use in a few European airports, she said.

The tote-based system is already in use in the international terminal which opened in October 2016.The domestic expansion cost about $150 million.

Gamboa says the expansion, which goes live for most passengers on Tuesday, is one of 16 projects in an overall package of improvements pegged at about $400 million.WestJet will be added to the system in 2019.

The Calgary airport serves about 17 million passengers each year.

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With files fromRadio Canada's Audrey Neveu