Eight teams chosen to develop prototypes to improve air baggage and cargo handling

Eight teams have been selected to develop prototypes that can transform the manpower intensive ways of handling baggage and cargo, Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Finance and Ministry for Transport, announced on Friday.

The teams are selected under two aviation challenges which the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, or CAAS, launched last year to automate baggage handling for narrow-bodied aircraft and the build-up and breaking down of cargo pallets and containers - both of which are manpower intensive processes.

The prototypes will involve the use of robotics, autonomous vehicles, exoskeletons, and state-of-the-art algorithms in the baggage and cargo operations, Mrs Teo said.

"We can look to vastly improved productivity with less labour intensive processes and better quality jobs for Singaporeans."

CAAS will be supporting the developmental works with grants totalling up to S$17 million, said Mrs Teo.

Several teams in the aviation challenges are from local companies and institutes of higher learning, she added.

Mrs Teo was speaking at the Aviation Community Reception 2015 at the Victoria Theatre, where she emphasised the need to "pay close attention" to several key areas to ensure that Singapore remains the go-to-hub for passengers, airlines, aviation service providers and air logistics.

Connectivity will remain the first and foremost criteria by which an air hub is assessed, she said.

"As the global economy develops, more cities will grow in prominence ... Because capacity cannot be unlimited, our ability to achieve an optimal mix of air transport connections will be an important edge."