China opens new giant airport
Updated on 26 February 2008
Beijing has opened the doors to its new glass and steel airport terminal that will welcome visitors to the Olympic Games.
The terminal is an important project for the Olympics, designed to relieve the overloaded airport's other two terminals and accommodate the expected rise in the number of visitors to Beijing.
The large, airy interior will have 64 Western and Chinese restaurants, 84 retail shops, and a state-of-the-art-baggage handling system. A high-speed commuter train will take passengers into the city, while the runway is capable of handling Airbus' huge A380 superjumbo.
The terminal is "a safe and efficient non-competition venue for the much anticipated Beijing Olympics Games," said Dong Zhiyi, deputy general manager of the Capital Airport Holding Co.
Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the aim was to combine traditional architectural elements with up-to-date technology. Its red columns and gold roof are intended to evoke Beijing's imperial palaces and temples.
It took just under four years to build the terminal, its runway and most of the related infrastructure, in order to ensure it was ready for the Olympics.
The floor space of the terminal and ground transportation centre covers 14 million square feet.
In preparation for the Olympic Games Beijing has been turned into a massive construction site over the last seven years as it undergoes a £20 billion makeover.
It is thought that the whole airport will receive 64 million visitors this year, a figure up from 50 million last year and 20 million in 2000.
Six airlines will begin flying into the terminal on Friday, while others will switch over from the other two terminals in March.
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