The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has developed a new secure digital platform aimed at helping airlines, airports, ground handlers and technology providers modernise baggage handling, while still allowing them to remain connected with older systems during the transition.

The Baggage Community System (BCS) has been designed to support the gradual adoption of the Modern Baggage Messaging (BIX) standard, enabling the industry to move away from legacy Type B messages used for baggage handling without disrupting existing operations.

For IATA, the issue is not only technological. Fast, accurate and secure messaging between airlines, airports, handlers and solution providers is now central to improving baggage operations, particularly as passengers increasingly expect better tracking, fewer delays and quicker solutions when things go wrong.

“Improving baggage operations depends on timely, accurate, and secure information exchange. We cannot do that with legacy Type B messages on teletype networks,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety, and Security.

“And we cannot wait for everyone to convert to modern BIX capabilities. That is where BCS plays an essential role,” he added.

“By handling both BIX and legacy Type B systems, it enables early adopters to gain the benefits of their investments without losing connectivity with those still operating legacy systems,” Careen said.

According to IATA, BIX messages are used to track bags through key stages of the journey, including check-in, screening, loading, transfer and delivery. However, many baggage messages are still exchanged through Type B messages on teletype networks, which limits data sharing, raises costs and slows the industry’s ability to improve performance.

BCS is intended to bridge that gap. The platform allows real-time, structured data exchange, including between organisations still operating with Type B messages and those already using BIX. This means legacy and modern systems can continue exchanging information even as different parts of the industry move at different speeds.

At the same time, the platform includes a global directory, allowing users to identify, connect and exchange messages with partners more easily. IATA said this should simplify what is often a complex and lengthy IT integration process, while also helping airports, airlines and handlers onboard more quickly across the baggage ecosystem.

For passengers, the system is expected to support more reliable baggage operations by enabling richer and more accurate baggage data.

This should make it easier to identify problems such as delayed, misdirected or misconnected bags earlier in the journey, provide real-time updates and allow faster solutions when disruption occurs.

Importantly, IATA said the adoption of BIX also fits into the wider digitalisation of aviation operations. The data collected through the system can be used for stronger performance analysis and more effective service recovery, including through scanned images and detailed event histories.

To support the transition, BCS is already operating in a live test environment, allowing industry partners to validate integrations and messaging workflows in a controlled setting.

The full platform is expected to go live in the third quarter of 2026.

Participants already include a broad group of airlines and airports, such as United Airlines, Lufthansa, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Air Canada, Finnair and Air New Zealand.

Airports involved include Berlin Brandenburg, Toronto Pearson, Bengaluru, Münster Osnabrück and Red Sea International.

IATA said organisations that demonstrate readiness will also be eligible to receive the “BIX Ready” badge, helping them show partners that they are prepared to operate within the new baggage messaging environment.

BCS forms part of IATA’s broader effort to modernise aviation messaging, reduce industry costs and support greater automation across baggage operations.