(Yicai) Nov. 20 -- Shanghai Pudong International Airport started construction of its third terminal today, adding extra capacity to what was already China’s busiest civil aviation hub by passenger numbers.

The airport has a design throughput of 80 million passengers per year, and the new terminal will increase that by 50 million, operator Shanghai Airport Group announced today, adding that this marks a new stage of the fourth phase of the airport’s expansion. 

The airport is one of China’s two major international gateways, alongside Beijing Capital International Airport. Opened in 1999, it serves as a key hub for domestic and international flights, particularly for trans-Pacific and European routes.

It handled more than 76 million passengers in 2019. In the first 10 months of this year, there were 64.3 million, ranking first among civil airports in China.

With passenger traffic approaching the limit, Pudong Airport began planning the expansion in January 2022. According to the plan, the airport will serve 130 million passengers a year by 2030, operating 805,000 flights and delivering 5.9 million tons of cargo.

The latest expansion phase will wrap up in 2028 when the airport will have three terminals, one single satellite hall, and four runways. The design includes the new T3 terminal building, an underground transport hub, an airfield, a cargo area, and other ancillary projects.

To meet airlines’ operational needs, the T3 terminal will have 90 contact stands, of which 31 will be convertible, the largest numbers of any airport in the country. The total area of the terminal will exceed 1.7 million square meters.

Editor: Tom Litting