The Capital International Airport's massive expansion program moved ahead in Beijing on Sunday with the signing of nine contracts with construction firms. The contracts include earthwork and drainage at three key sub-projects: the T3B terminal building, a communication center and a runway.

All of the earthwork is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.

Covering an area of 1,480 hectares, the expansion entails the construction of a new runway, a new terminal building, a cargo zone and some auxiliary projects.

When the project is completed at the end of 2007, the enlarged airport will be able to accommodate 60 million passengers and 1.8 million tons of cargo per year.

The airport currently has two runways and two terminal buildings, with a combined annual handling capacity of 35 million passengers.

Monthly passenger arrivals at the airport are forecast to leap to 5.6 million during the 2008 Olympic Games, equivalent to the normal monthly transport volume predicted for 2015.

(China Daily August 10, 2004)