Local airports to expand capacity
29/5/2003 15:08
The two local airports, Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao
Airport, are planning a new round of construction this year to prepare the city
for the 2010 World Expo.
After completion, the Pudong airport will be
completely international, handling all major out-bound flights and linking major
domestic ones with international flights, while the Hongqiao Airport will handle
minor domestic flights and serve mainly as a standby for the Pudong airport when
it's busy.
As planned, the Pudong airport will start a second round of
construction in which three new runways and a new terminal building will be
built, expanding its capacity to handle a flow of 100 million people a year by
2007.
The detailed construction plan for the Hongqiao Airport has yet to
be disclosed.
The three new runways will become the Pudong airport's
second, third and fourth.
The second one will be 200 meters shorter than
the first one, but 6 meters wider on both sides. The expanded width will make it
suitable for even the world's biggest A380 planes. To be completed by 2004, it
will stretch for 3,800 meters with a width of 60 meters in all.
The third
and fourth runways are tentatively scheduled for completion by 2008 and 2010
respectively.
The new terminal building is designed in the shape of a
hand with five radiating 'fingers'. It will accommodate a flow of 40 million
people.
Vicky Xu / Shanghai Daily news
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