Where Checked Bags Go: Inside Kurumoch Airport

Where do bags and suitcases go after we check them in at the airport? 63.RU photographer Roman Danilkin found out the answer — he got into the inner sanctum of the Samara airport terminal, where not everyone is allowed.

After inspection, suitcases are grouped by flight and delivered to the apron, where loaders put them into the aircraft«s baggage compartments. Upon arrival, everything happens in reverse: baggage is unloaded, may be inspected again, sorted, and sent to the carousel in the arrivals hall.

Kurumoch International Airport is the main air hub of the Samara region and one of the largest in the Volga region. It is located between Samara and Tolyatti, serving domestic and international flights. The modern passenger terminal opened in 2015 and is designed for several million passengers a year. The airport can accommodate most types of aircraft and is a base for a number of airlines.

Over the past year, Kurumoch Airport handled approximately 1,173,120 pieces of baggage, with a total weight of about 16.56 million kg. Of these, passengers checked in about 587,113 suitcases and bags, and arriving passengers collected almost the same number from the carousels.