YUL Montreal-Trudeau International Airport Sees a 25% Increase in Baggage Processing Capacity
YUL Montreal-Trudeau International Airport Sees a 25% Increase in Baggage Processing Capacity
The Equans Services Team Has Completed a Major Project Commissioned by ADM Aéroports De Montréal in the Summer of 2022.
The addition of a fifth imaging device and a new baggage inspection room allows YUL to increase its operational capacity in the domestic and international flight sections. This enhances the baggage management capacity, enabling the airport to handle more flights and passengers while meeting the explosive detection requirements of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA).
“This is an important benefit for both the airport and airlines,” says Vincent Forgues, Airport Projects Director at Equans Services. “Among other things, the ability to scan more bags will enable airlines to add flights during peak periods.”
Technological Expertise in the Service of Safety
According to industry regulations, all baggage must be secured from the moment it’s dropped off at the check-in desk right up to the moment it’s loaded onto the aircraft. The imaging system, overseen by CATSA, scans travellers’ luggage and takes images.
“If something is flagged as suspicious, the screening officer will study the images,” says Forgues. “After this initial step, they may decide to investigate further by inspecting the contents of the bag in a search room. If, at any time, a potential explosive is detected in someone’s bag, the bag is transported to a secure location to be detonated.”
In short, according to Forgues, there is a multi-layered system in place to ensure a bag containing an explosive does not make its way onto a plane. None of this may be visible to passengers, but they should feel safe knowing that between the new imaging machine and the expertise of screening officers, their flight is secure.
The Equans-operated computer system detects and identifies each piece of luggage and tracks its journey through the airport conveyor system.
“It’s like tracking a car on the highway in Google Maps,” Forgues explains. “The computer system identifies each bag on the conveyors and calculates its optimal route to the loading dock. If there’s a risk of congestion, the route is adjusted to ensure the bag arrives at its destination as quickly as possible.”
Improved Productivity and Performance
At its busiest, the Montreal airport can handle up to 30,000 bags per day. Whereas in the past, departing flights were normally scheduled throughout the day, they’re now increasingly clustered in peak periods, which can lead to long lineups.
“On any given day, airports experience peaks of very high-intensity activity,” says Forgues. “To address the implications of this new trend and deal with labour shortages and other issues, airlines and airports need to adapt.”
For this reason, in addition to installing a fifth explosive detection machine, Equans Services has set up a new baggage search room and doubled the number of stations where screening officers can open and check people’s bags. As a result, screening capacity has increased from 2,200 to 2,800 bags per hour.
“This increase, paired with greater support, means that in the domestic and international sections (excluding the US), we should be able to handle a volume of seven million bags in 2023—an increase of two million compared to 2022,” says project manager Romain Poblet.
“A lot of supply issues came up that could have jeopardized our delivery timeline,” notes Poblet. “We overcame them by finding technical and logistical solutions and ultimately delivered the project before the summer 2023 high season—in time to help ease the airport’s operational load during that annual peak period. That’s what made this project so challenging. We succeeded by demonstrating ingenuity and creativity.”
Unique Expertise in the Airport Market
Equans Services designs, installs, and supplies customized solutions and services that improve its clients’ infrastructure, equipment, systems, and technical processes.
In completing this project and managing the entire life cycle of the Montreal airport’s fifth explosive detection machine, the company has proven its unrivalled expertise in the airport market and its teams’ ability to meet deadlines even when confronted with obstacles and unforeseen circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Equans Services completed a project for ADM Aéroports de Montréal, adding a fifth explosive detection imaging device and a new baggage inspection room at YUL — increasing baggage screening capacity for domestic and international flights by 25%.
Screening capacity rose from 2,200 to 2,800 bags per hour. At peak, YUL can now process up to 30,000 bags a day, with the airport projected to handle 7 million bags in 2023 — 2 million more than the year before.
Faster, higher-capacity screening gives airlines the flexibility to add flights during peak periods without creating bottlenecks, while keeping pace with CATSA's explosive detection requirements — so passenger volumes can grow without compromising security or wait times.
Equans Services managed the full project lifecycle, from installing the new imaging equipment to deploying a real-time tracking system that monitors each bag's journey through the conveyor network and automatically reroutes it if congestion is detected.
Beyond baggage screening, Equans Services delivers Baggage Handling System (BHS) operation and maintenance, Checked Baggage Inspection Systems, HVAC and electromechanical maintenance, 24/7/365 Airport Operations Centre support, and airport security systems — covering the full asset lifecycle from design to operation.
With over 30 years of experience in the North American airport market, Equans Services acts as a single, product-agnostic partner across the entire asset lifecycle — helping airports like YUL scale capacity, meet regulatory requirements, and improve passenger flow through one integrated service package.
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