Impressive airport caught short on facilities
Shanghai has long complained its HK$12.25 billion Pudong airport does not get enough use. Now, city officials are unhappy with some of the people who are making use of it.
Police have launched a crackdown on drivers who answer a call of nature in the parking lot or by the side of the road at the entrance to the airport, according to the Shanghai-based Liberation Daily.
It said at least 15 people, most taxi drivers, had been fined in a recent sweep aimed at improving the appearance of the otherwise impressive new airport.
'There is a problem with a lack of facilities at Pudong airport,' said Sun Weiwei, a spokeswoman for the Shanghai government company that runs the city's two airports.
There are portable toilets but many of the drivers who make the long trek out to Pudong airport would rather not pay the price of admission.
The newspaper noted that drivers were unable to dash inside the airport to use the passenger terminal facilities because of parking restrictions around the terminal entrance.
Shanghai opened the airport 2.5 years ago with much fanfare to help ease congestion at Hongqiao airport. But most travellers prefer Hongqiao because it is closer to the city centre.
