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Tuesday, 16 March 2010 00:00 |
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InterSystems commissions another new terminal in China. Hongqiao, the domestic terminal in Shanghai, has opened the new Terminal 2 in time for World Expo 2010 and will undergo operational trials for 3 months before final acceptance.
Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport opened the doors of a new terminal on March 16, two months before 70 million mostly Chinese visitors will begin flocking to the city for the 2010 Expo. The five-year US$2.2 billion Hongqiao Airport Expansion Project will boost Hongqiao’s annual handling capacity by an estimated 40 million passengers per year.
According to a 2010 Shanghai municipal government press statement, Hongqiao Airport’s Terminal 1 was straining under increasing passenger demands. “It had a designed capacity for 9.6 million passengers a year but handled more than 25 million last year,” the statement said. Terminal 2 – four times larger than the older Terminal 1 – will serve 11 domestic carriers and handle three-quarters of Hongqiao’s passenger traffic. Terminal 1 will offer a mix of domestic and international options including flights to Japan and South Korea.
In addition to the 80 check-in counters and 45 boarding gates, the new terminal also offers luxury shopping and a full range of restaurants. Food prices in restaurants and convenience stores like Family Mart match those found outside the airport.
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