Airport gets ready for big days ahead

Beijing will handle up to 1,500 flights and 260,000 passengers a day, the most its airport can cope with, in the run-up to and during the Olympic Games, Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) officials have said.

The challenge Beijing faces is evident from the fact that Athens handled 795 flights and 58,000 passengers on the eve of the 2004 Games' opening.

Adding to the challenge is the threat of thunderstorms on Aug 8 and 9, according to a study based on the city's decades-long weather data, said Huang Dengke, of the CAAC North China regional administration and in-charge of the airport's Games time coordination.