Expansion of Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport approved

[photopress:shanghai_honqquai.jpg,full,alignright]The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has approved the expansion plan for Shanghai Hongqiao Airport which includes the construction of a second runway, 3,300 meters long, and a 250,000-square-meter terminal.

Hongqiao Airport is one of the largest in China and is expected to handle 40 million passengers by 2010. This is more than four times its current capability.

At a cost of RMB15.3 billion ($2 billion) the project is expected to help build Shanghai into an aviation hub for the Asia and Pacific region and ensure a successful Shanghai Expo in 2010. The new terminal will be linked to high-speed railways, inter-city railways and subways. Work is scheduled to be finished by 2010, increasing the number of Shanghai’s runways to five.

Wang Guangdi, vice president of the Shanghai Airport company said, ‘The current airport is designed to handle 9.6 million passengers annually but last year more than 19 million passengers passed through its arrival and departure halls. Shanghai’s two airports, Pudong and Hongqiao, have long been overloaded.’

The company aims to expand the handling capacity of the two airports to 100 million passengers and 70 million tons of cargo a year by 2015. Located in the west of Shanghai, and 13 kilometers from the city center, Hongqiao airport mainly accommodates domestic flights including China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines.
Source: Xinhua