Shanghai airport expansion nears completion

The expansion of the third phase of Shanghai Pudong International Airport is about to be completed as the launch of the world's largest single-building satellite hall on Sept 16 approaches, official sources said.

The 620,000-square-meter satellite hall will increase the city's capacity to 120 million passenger trips and 5.2 million tons of cargo, said Xie Feng, head of the Shanghai Transport Commission.

Along with the satellite hall, Shanghai's two airports will operate four terminals, six runways, five cargo areas and a total of 435 parking stands, Xie added.

A new railway line linking Shanghai's two airports — Shanghai Hongqiao and Shanghai Pudong —  started construction in June, and is scheduled to complete in 2024, shortening travel time between the two to 40 minutes.

"All the developments are to serve the city's target of becoming an international aviation hub and serving the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region," Xie said.