Related stories

Sang Lan with Strength and Courage Gong Li From China with Good Will Many Things to Learn from Beijing Interview with British Ambassador to China Sir William Ehrman More Olympic Tickets, Lower Prices Olympic Pictograms Convey the Passion of Sport

More Convenience with Airport's Terminal 3

For most foreign visitors to China, their first impression of China’s capital city is the Beijing Capital International Airport. In 2005, 35 million passengers used the airport, reaching its current full passenger capacity.

So, were it not for the new terminal, the 5.56 million passengers are expected to arrive at the airport in August 2008 during the Olympic and Paralympic Games might have taxed the existing airport’s capability. With the Terminal 3 project, the airport’s passenger-handling ability is expected to increase to 60 million passengers per year by 2015. Terminal 3 is expected to be available for service in December 2007 in plenty of time for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and testing leading up to them.

Designed by Norman Foster in partnership with Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO) and the engineering consulting firm Arup, Terminal 3 will be the most sophisticated on the Chinese mainland. The firm’s previous experience in designing modern flagship airports, including Chek Lap Kok in Hong Kong, gave it a sound platform from which to address the functional, aesthetic and cultural aspects of the project.

The Terminal 3 project is the fastest-built, single-largest airport expansion project the world has ever seen. Its two passenger terminal buildings will have a roof area of more than 80 acres (32.37 hectares), with a length of 2.5 kilometres.

After completion, a light railway line will shorten travel time between the two terminal buildings to three minutes. New, modern devices will be used for security inspections and package sorting. Electrical sockets will easily be found near seats in waiting halls so passengers can recharge batteries or use their laptop computers.

Another light railway will connect the airport with Dongzhimen station of the Beijing Subway in Downtown Beijing. The trip is expected to take about 18 minutes from Terminal 3 and 22 minutes from Terminal 2, with much greater convenience than is currently available.