Beijing's Capital International Airport (BCIA) successfully
tested the simultaneous use of three runways on Tuesday, the first
operation of its kind in Asian aviation history.
Arrival and departure capacity will be increased from 80 flights
to 105 to 115 flights per hour when the third terminal goes into
operation in February of next year, said BCIA controlling office
director Yang Fei.
The third runway, scheduled to go into use by the end of
October, will provide solid support for air transport during the Beijing Olympic Games.
The simultaneous use of three runways is a challenge and only a
few airports in the United States and Europe manage it, said Duan
Shili, an official with China's General Administration of Civil
Aviation.
To prepare for the Olympics, the airport has been expanding
since March 2004.
The enlarged airport will be able to accommodate 60 million
passengers and handle 1.8 million tons of cargo each year.
The expansion project includes the construction of a third
runway, a new terminal building covering 420,000 square meters, 100
new aprons, a cargo zone and auxiliary facilities.
The airport presently has two runways and two terminals with a
combined capacity to handle 35 million passengers a year.
Official forecasts estimate that the peak monthly passenger
arrival at the airport will hit 5.56 million travelers during the
Olympics, equivalent to the normal transport volume predicted for
2015.
(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2007)
