This €14 million project was carried out in several phases and completed in the spring of 2015 prior to the summer peak in order to have the least impact on operations.

The baggage handling contract included the replacement of 55 check-in stations and a new baggage handling system composed of a conventional belt conveyors system which transfers bags to two loops of a DCV AUTOVER® system supplied by ALSTEF’s partner, BEUMER. Nearly 150 Autoca®, individual carts of new generation, carry the bags through their journey to four new standard 3 EDS , automatic bar code readers, manual encoding stations, temporary storage and 50 sorting chutes. This entirely automated system is controlled by a PLC, a SCADA system, and a sort allocation software package – BAGWARE – developed by ALSTEF.

COTE D’AZUR AIRPORTS decided to award the contract to ALSTEF after a call for tenders on performances because it was an innovative solution.

The ALSTEF system has the following advantages :

• High level of redundancy,
• Flexibility of use,
• Ergonomics and comfort for the personnel,
• Centralised maintenance (the vehicles are repaired in the maintenance area, which does not affect operations),
• Low energy consumption ,
• Adaptability to future improvements at the airport.

In addition to the new baggage sorting system, ALSTEF was responsible for the modifications in the terminal building at all levels : masonry, smoke ejection, air conditioning, fire protection, access controls, CCTV etc, with the collaboration of a local company, JEAN GRANIOU.

ALSTEF was also awarded the maintenance of this new system – ALSTEF has been assuring the maintenance of the baggage sorting system in Terminal 2.2 since 2008.

Terminal 1 at NICE AIRPORT became the fifth DCV AUTOVER® system installed by ALSTEF since 2006, after TOULOUSE BLAGNAC, DUBAI EMIRATES, MONTREAL-TRUDEAU and OUJDA ANGADS, a total of nearly 450 AUTOCA® vehicles and 7 km of track.