Beijing’s New Airport Terminal Opening This Week
Beijing today opened a new $3.6 billion massive glass-and-steel airport terminal which will welcome all the visitors for Olympics 2008.
The airport will house 64 Western and Chinese restaurants, 90 retail shops, and a state-of-the-art-baggage handling system. The airport will also provide a high-speed commuter train which will transport passengers into the city quickly.
The new terminal is built to relieve the strain from the existing two terminals as well as the other overloaded airports. It will also accommodate the growing number of visitors to Beijing after the Olympics.
As the Montreal Gazette reports, the terminal will also have new subway lines and roads leading to it.
The impressive terminal’s nearly 3-km (2-mile) long concourse, which is divided into three sections and connected by a shuttle train, will boost capacity at the airport to 76 million compared with the 52 million who used the airport last year.
Apart from the terminal, China is also busy opening new subway lines and roads, as part of a $40 billion project to revamp and modernize Beijing in preparation for the Olympics.
China Daily reports on preparation works as well as the airport design.
On Tuesday, the sound of hammering and the buzz of electric saws could be heard as workers rushed to put finishing touches on shops and other facilities. Glass windows and doors were polished, shelves were stocked and plastic covers were torn off chairs behind check-in counters. Electricians worked on last-minute wiring as signs with airline logos lay on the sidewalk.
Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the building attempts to combine traditional architectural elements with up-to-date technology. Its red columns and matte gold roof are meant to evoke Beijing’s imperial palaces and temples.
The floor space of the terminal and ground transportation center covers 1.3 million square meters (14 million square feet).
Photo:© Man Him
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