Capital airport gears up to handle Olympic departures

Beijing Capital International Airport has adjusted flight schedules to ensure the smooth departure of Winter Olympic delegations after the Games, civil aviation service providers said.

The Games, which opened on Feb 4, ended on Sunday.

The airport has dedicated its Terminal 3 to Olympic departures until Friday.

Games participants have been required to stay within a biosecurity bubble since their arrival due to COVID-19 pandemic control protocols.

Non-Olympic-related flights scheduled to leave and arrive at Terminal 3 have been transferred to Terminal 2.

The North China Regional Administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said Terminal 2 has been handling nearly 400 domestic flights a day since Sunday, including those transferred from Terminal 3.

Between Jan 4 and Feb 15, Beijing Capital International Airport handled 436 Olympic-related flights, 49 chartered flights, 18,194 participants and 48,204 pieces of luggage, according to CAAC.

Sun Jianying, an official with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, said the airport has made every effort to optimize departures and pandemic control protocols.

Check-in counters have been set up at the three Winter Olympic villages for participants to drop off luggage in advance to ease traffic at the airport during peak hours.

The airport is fully prepared, with over 1,800 staff members and 600 volunteers on duty each day.

Meanwhile, the regional high-speed railway operator has completed Winter Olympic service and has begun preparing for the Paralympics.

China Railway Beijing Group said the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway handled 1,026 Winter Olympic-related bullet train services from Jan 21 to Sunday.

Thirty-four services were provided each day to transport participants between downtown Beijing, the capital's suburban Yanqing district, and Zhangjiakou in Hebei province. Additional services were organized on Feb 4 and Sunday, the Games' opening and closing days.

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games were held in three areas, Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.

The railway, which opened on Dec 30, 2019, is China's most advanced smart high-speed railway, with trains traveling at a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

It takes about half an hour from Beijing to Yanqing and about an hour to Zhangjiakou.