Specialist baggage handling solutions company, Vanderlande Industries UK which has worked with Birmingham Airport on the development of its baggage handling system, has won the prestigious Airport Operators Association (AOA) award this year for Best Business Partner.

The award, announced at the AOA annual conference recently, is in recognition of Vanderlande's excellence in working with UK airports, including Birmingham, to provide cost-effective, efficient, energy-efficient, and passenger-friendly baggage handling systems.

 Vanderlande was selected to win this award by the AOA board for its outstanding work in its particular field. As Ed Anderson, AOA chairman commented: "The number and quality of entries was unprecedented, reflecting the quality of people and companies working in the airports industry. Deciding on the winners was a difficult process, with so many outstanding entries, but the award winner showed particular excellence and dedication in their field."

This is the second year running that Vanderlande has won an AOA award. In 2010 it scooped the Best Innovator Award in recognition of its research and "blue skies" thinking into developing cutting edge baggage handling technology designed to help to realise significant savings in airport operational costs.

David Rothwell, head of sales of Vanderlande UK said: "We are proud once again to have won an award from the AOA, and especially proud that we are seen as the UK airports' best business partner. We work very hard with airports to provide them with a consultative approach to their baggage handling systems, giving them advice on how these may be operated more effectively, energy-efficiently, and most importantly to help airport profitability."