BEUMER Targets Airport Modernisation and Wider Self-Service Adoption
Key Takeaways
- BEUMER Group sees growth in baggage handling systems, focusing on upgrading existing equipment and expanding into Middle Eastern and African markets.
- The company offers complete systems, software, and modernisation services, catering to both major and regional airports.
- BEUMER’s self-bag drop technology improves efficiency and tracking for baggage handling at check-in.
- Artificial intelligence enhances BEUMER’s airport software, providing AI-driven solutions for operations and planning.
- The company emphasizes long-term success and compliance in project management, navigating complex procurement processes in the Middle East.
Upgrades to baggage handling systems are an important source of business for BEUMER Group as airport customers seek more capacity, replace existing equipment and introduce self-service technology. The company is pursuing expansion work in established Middle Eastern airports, increasing its involvement in Africa and serving regional airports through both direct projects and equipment supplied to other contractors.
BEUMER’s airport portfolio includes complete baggage handling systems, individual equipment and the software used to control baggage movements. Its dedicated modernisation business handles upgrades to existing installations, with work planned around the airport’s daily baggage operations.
Speaking with Aviation Jeta at the Airport Show in Dubai, Romano Fionda, Customer Support Director at BEUMER Group Middle East FZCO, said several Middle Eastern airport customers are planning further development after reaching the capacity of their existing terminals.
BEUMER has worked on a number of newer airports in the region and is looking to participate in their expansion.
“The Middle East is no longer what I would call an emerging market. It’s a very well-established market, specifically in airports,” Fionda said. The company’s focus is therefore on helping customers modernise and expand their systems.
He described a strong regional project pipeline, involving existing customers as well as enquiries from prospective customers about replacing or upgrading their equipment. Africa is also becoming a more active market for BEUMER.
“Africa is very much coming in as an emerging market, and we’re becoming more and more involved in Africa,” he said.
Airport operators are also asking about new technology. Fionda said BEUMER’s self-bag drop offering is well established, and the company is seeking wider adoption among customers already using its baggage handling systems.
The company’s CrisBag Self Bag Drop allows passengers to place baggage directly into an individual carrier, or tote, at check-in. This brings each bag into the tote-based handling system from the point of acceptance, extending tracking through the handling process and removing the need for a conventional take-away conveyor at that interface.
The system can be configured for international terminals and regional airports with different passenger volumes and operational requirements.
Photo: Beumer Group
Artificial intelligence features prominently in customer enquiries, Fionda said.
BEUMER is examining how it can use the technology to improve existing products and develop additional offerings.
“We’re constantly researching and developing AI into our existing product portfolio, what we can do to enhance it, and what new products with AI we can bring in,” he said.
AI already has applications in the company’s airport software. BEUMER Flow for Airports uses AI-driven recommendations for departure, arrival and baggage batch planning, while routing algorithms determine paths for individual bags through the handling system and help reduce potential bottlenecks.
BEUMER assesses the scale of each project and its ability to deliver before deciding whether to bid. Founded in 1935, the German group remains family-owned, with a stated emphasis on long-term business success.
“We want to be the best, not the biggest, and we are here for long-term success, not short-term profit,” Fionda said.
BEUMER can nevertheless supply equipment for projects delivered by other contractors. Fionda said competitors buy its products for their own installations, giving the company a presence in both smaller airport projects and larger developments without necessarily delivering the complete system.
Its direct business also includes regional airports. Asked about opportunities at smaller airports in India, Fionda said the company does not restrict its work to major hubs. “We don’t have a rule that we only deal with the big airports. We have a lot of regional airports,” he said.
While the Middle East offers opportunities for expansion and modernisation, procurement timelines can delay contract awards.
Fionda described European markets as more straightforward, whereas Middle Eastern tenders can involve lengthy procurement procedures, compliance checks and, in some cases, government involvement. “We can tender for a relatively small project and not get a decision for a year,” he said.
Fionda said compliance now receives considerably more attention in the region than it did previously.
He characterised the market as intricate, with the procedures required to reach a decision extending the process even for relatively small projects.
Also Read: Mishandled Baggage Cost Airlines $6.3 Billion in 2025, Says SITA
Pranav Doshi is a Dubai-based communications and public affairs professional, Director, GCC & India at Advanced Business Events, and Middle East contributor to Aviation Jeta.
