The Beijing Capital International Airport has handled nearly 31 million passengers in the first half of this year, making it the fifth largest airport in the world, Zhang Zhizhong, president of Capital Airports Holding Company, said yesterday.

The passenger traffic has increased by 18.2 percent year on year, despite the global economic slowdown, he told the press conference of the 15th World Route Development Forum, which opened yesterday in Beijing.

The forum has attracted nearly 3,000 delegates from more than 200 airlines, 500 airports, 50 tourism and trade organizations and 100 suppliers, the largest scale ever.

(China Daily September 14, 2009)