Beijing Nanyuan Airport opens new terminal

BEIJING -- Beijing Nanyuan Airport, the oldest airport in China, unveiled a new terminal on Friday, allowing it to serve significantly more passengers as the nation's aviation industry continues to boom.

The 10,000-square-meter terminal went into operation on Friday, along with a renovated parking lot, runway and tarmac, said a statement from China United Airlines, which operates the 102-year-old airport -- located just 13 km south of Tiananmen Square in downtown Beijing.

With the new terminal, the airport will be able to serve 6 million passengers a year, more than doubling its capacity in 2011, according to the statement.

The airport, which was primarily a military airfield, had only one terminal before. It handled 2.8 million passengers in 2011.

China United Airlines, the only commercial airline using Nanyuan Airport, operates passenger services to more than 50 Chinese cities.