An expansion of Beijing’s international airport is almost complete but it's already seen as inadequate to accommodate China’s burgeoning passenger traffic.

The third runway at the capital airport began operation Monday, while a third terminal building is set to open in February. But aviation officials think a fourth runway or a new international airport will soon be needed, China Daily reported Tuesday.

The report said the current expansion was based on projections for 60 million passengers and 1.8 million tons of cargo annually by 2015. But revised estimates have shown those traffic volumes will be reached much earlier.

“When we built the third runway, we gave ourselves the option to join it to a fourth if the government approved its construction,” one official said. “However, during project feasibility meetings, a number of experts suggested an additional runway would not significantly increase the airport's handling capability.”

The official said an alternative would now be to build a second airport. The new airport may be located south of Beijing near the Yongding River, which will add to the economic development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, the report said.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International






Publication date: 30 October 2007   

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