Emirates is partnering with London Heathrow, Dubai International and Hong Kong International airports to try the latest radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology in baggage handling.

In a statement on Feb. 16, Dubai-based Emirates said it would invest close to two million dirham to test RFID's effectiveness and benefits against the existing barcode tracking system.

The airline described it as the largest-ever trial of its kind for the airline industry, where about half a million bags on its flights would be tagged with RFID chips over its (trial's) six-month duration.

Emirates hopes its investment would help revolutionise the manner in which bags are tracked and monitored, and present innovative solutions to handle the increasing volume of baggage annually, as more people frequently use air travel.

Emirates divisional senior vice-president for airport services, Dale Griffith said previous RFID trials by other parties on a smaller scale showed that technology almost eliminated scanner 'misreads'.

This, he said, significantly improved the efficiency of the baggage system and customer experience.

"We are now applying this on a much larger scale at three major airport hubs, including Emirates' Dubai home-base, thus allowing the trials to include most possible baggage handling scenarios, including international transit," added Griffith.

With 58 of the double-decked A380 aircraft entering Emirates' service, each doubling the number of bags handled per aircraft, the airline is keen to find innovative technologies and new ways to improve baggage handling infrastructure and safeguard the level of trust of its customers.

Griffith said the airline would share the results of the trial with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

"If this trial is as successful as we expect, Emirates will encourage airports across its network to embrace this technology. This could become a new industry standard for baggage handling," he added.

RFID equipment has been installed at some of Emirates' check-in desks at the three participating airports. During the trial, trained staff will apply tags containing RFID chips to bags as part of the normal check-in process.

The chips are read as they pass through the airport's baggage system, enabling effective sorting, security screening and delivery to the aircraft.

Arriving bags are read on entry to the baggage system and receipted into the system for effective tracking. Essentially, the chips will enable bags to be tracked at every stage of their journey, and minimise the possibilities for baggage mishandling.

According to Emirates, in the future, RFID technology could also make it possible for airlines to send a text-message alert to notify passengers the moment their luggage arrives on the baggage carousel.