the facility’s baggage screening system operates on a conveyor belt, which processes luggage through a Transportation Security Administration security machine.“Though it has served us well that technology is now almost 20 years old and new screening systems are now available to scan customer baggage more efficiently to provide the most secure travel experience possible today,” said Tim Edwards, executive director with Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority, which owns HIA.
Because some of the parts for the baggage screening system are no longer manufactured the system needs to be replaced.He said there’s about a year’s left of spares of the photo-eyes if something happens. Photo eyes are little square boxes used for tracking luggage that shoot a beam across a conveyor and detect when a bag goes by. It’s used for tracking the bag through the entire process.
U.S. Senator Bob Casey recently announced a $5.5 million grant from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to upgrade the airport’s baggage screening system, including technology that identifies firearms and hazardous materials. The project will include updating the baggage system controls network, user interfaces, tracking and recording functionality, and also will replace hundreds of motors, automatic tag readers and photo eyes with more efficient technology. There will be 356 photo eyes in the new system.Normal operations will not be impacted during construction.