Shanghai airport expansion cleared

15.3b yuan project boosts city's plan to become air hub

The central government has formally approved a 15.3 billion yuan expansion of Shanghai's domestic airport, including a second runway and new terminal, as the city moves forward with plans to build a major air hub.

The National Development and Reform Commission approved the expansion of Shanghai Hongqiao Airport at the weekend, the Shanghai Securities News reported yesterday. An official of Hongqiao Airport Co confirmed completion was scheduled for 2010, when Shanghai will host the World Expo.

Shanghai has ambitions of becoming a major international aviation hub, and Hongqiao airport is already operating over capacity. The city's other airport, Pudong, handles all overseas flights as well as some domestic ones.

The Hongqiao expansion includes a new 3.3km runway and a 250,000-square-metre terminal. The airport has an existing single 3.4km runway and terminal space of 81,600 square metres.

The expansion will allow the airport to handle 40 million passengers a year, the projected demand in 2015. Hongqiao received 19 million passengers last year, double its designed capacity of 9.6 million.

In an annual policy address in January, Shanghai Mayor and acting party secretary Han Zheng said building an aviation hub was a priority for the city.