A High-Flying Makeover
It’s hard to believe that the last major expansion of the Beijing Capital Airport was unveiled just three years ago. But what’s even more amazing is how the second busiest hub in Asia has seen a 20 percent year-on-year increase in passengers since then – last year alone saw 48.6 million people stream through its doors.
Now all eyes are on the new Terminal 3, designed by British firm Foster and Partners, which was shown off Wednesday to a gaggle of press, and is, according to airport officials, intended to "give an excellent impression when visitors arrive at the airport."
The USD 4.6 billion expansion is slated to open for testing in February of next year and is expected to be in full operation by next July, just in time for the Olympics. Among the features of the new 7-storey structure are a distinctively golden-colored rooftop and red columns (à la the Forbidden City), swanky USD 250-million baggage system that can handle over 19,000 pieces of luggage an hour, two satellite concourses and 66 aerobridges – all expected to support a capacity of 62 million passengers by 2015.
This past week also saw the successful installation of a 40,000 square meter roof atop the 45 steel poles that make up the support structure for a massive 70,437-square-meter Airbus A380 superjumbo maintenance hangar, the largest of its kind in the world and an unprecedented feat in engineering history.
AP also reports that the 10-mile light rail system, which will connect the airport with a hub in Dongzhimen, is a bit behind schedule, however, and is not expected to be ready for testing until next July.
Terminal 3 stat shots
Number of workers involved in its construction: 50,000
Number of people relocated for the project: 10,000
Expected frequency of air traffic landing or taking off once the terminal is open: every 30 seconds
Number of new gates (including remote parking bays): 120
Estimated time it will take for a passenger to travel from Terminal 3 to the farthest gate in the Capital Airport: less than 5 minutes
Number of elevators: 445
Miles of cables: 1,800 miles
Miles of baggage handling conveyor belts: 20
Capacity of parking lot: 7,000 cars
Links and Sources
The People’s Daily
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90857/90860/6259274.html
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jvQYonvhwMWOfnrQpWL8uK29CEkQ
Wikipedia
http://www.proxysnow.com/index.php?hl=d0&q=uggc%3A%2F%2Fra.jvxvcrqvn.bet%2Fjvxv%2FOrvwvat_Pncvgny_Vagreangvbany_Nvecbeg
5starbeijing.com
http://www.5starbeijing.com/Airport.htm
The New York Times
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/travel/19beijinghotels.html
The Guardian Unlimited
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2167872,00.html
Beijing Government Website
http://www.bjghw.gov.cn/gzcy/jichang/images/g2.jpg
