Then & Now

The March 2003 issue of AIRPORT BUSINESS featured Jacksonville International Airport and its aggressive plan to install an in-line baggage screening system. It was the first airport to meet the December 31, 2002 deadline for 100 percent checked baggage screening.

Nearly four years later, the airport announces an $11 million upgrade to the baggage handling system. Jacksonville International has chosen Farmington Hills, MI-based Jervis B. Webb Co., which will install new conveyor belts, new machines, and move existing machines away from public areas. According to the airport, rather than collect and route all checked baggage through a single, five-machine array, bags will be delivered to a north and south array, each consisting of three machines. These new arrays will be located in mezzanines, created for this purpose, in each of the north and south baggage make-up areas.

The changes will increase the system’s capacity to screen bags and provide the ability to expand as the airport grows. The new system is expected to be fully operational by February 2007.