New terminals coming to China’s two largest airports next month

In preparation for hosting the Summer Olympics this year, China has ramped up construction of new airport capacity, and plans openings during March of new terminals at both Beijing International and Shanghai Pudong Airport. Both the new Terminal 3 at Beijing and the new Terminal 2 at Shanghai Pudong will serve as consolidated operational facilities for the global Star Alliance member airlines. Beijing-based Air China and Pudong-based Shanghai Airlines both recently joined the alliance.

Beijing’s 1 million-square-meter Terminal 3 is accompanied by a 3,800-meter new runway; both the terminal and the runway will enable the airport to accommodate the Airbus A380 super-jumbo. The sprawling glass-and-steel T3 at Beijing was designed by celebrated British architect Norman Foster; its $250 million baggage sorting system was installed by Germany’s Siemens. Passenger amenities will include a range of shopping and dining options, from Chinese cuisine to French, Italian, Japanese and Southeast Asian eateries to standard Western fast-food outlets. The new terminal will double the airport’s passenger capacity.

At Shaghai Pudong, meanwhile, the new T2 also comes with a new 3,400 meter runway, making that airport A380-capable as well. The three-level T2 will boost Pudong’s passenger capacity to 60 million per year. An integrated transportation center will be added, linking T1 and T2 at Pudong will give passengers quick access to passenger rail, maglev, bus and taxi transportation. Future construction plans at Pudong call for fourth and fifth runways and a satellite concourse larger than both existing terminals combined by 2015, making the airport one of the world’s largest.