Nine months after completion, the Shanghai Airport City Terminal finally went into operation yesterday, although on a very limited basis.

The terminal, located at the intersection of Nanjing Road W. and Changde Road, allows travelers flying out of Pudong International Airport to check their baggage and get their boarding cards before heading off to the airport. Currently, however, Shanghai Airlines is the only firm to set up a check-in desk at the terminal, meaning those flying on different airlines still have to lug their baggage to the airport themselves.

With a boarding card in his left hand and a suitcase in his right, 51-year-old Shanghainese Wang Jingzhao was all smiles when he found himself surrounded by media yesterday afternoon as he became the first passenger to complete his check-in process at the downtown terminal.

"I found it quite convenient to check in here," said Wang, a local company manager who planned to fly Shanghai Airlines to Guangzhou yesterday afternoon.

The terminal is the first of its kind on the Chinese mainland, although several such terminals exist in Hong Kong.

"Commencement of the downtown facility is a significant step by the local airport authority to further improve its service and accelerate its drive to build Shanghai into a major aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region," said Du Chuncai, president of Shanghai Airport Authority, operator of the city's two international airports and the project's sole investor.

"This new facility gives passengers one more choice that might spare them the usually full-handed and tiresome trip to the airport in Pudong."

Construction of the 11-story building, which has cost nearly 300 million yuan (US$36.14 million), began in May 2000 and finished last December.

Airport officials said a number of carriers, both domestic and international, are either showing interest or making preparations to move into the city terminal, but declined to give specifics.

Meanwhile, airport officials also said that bags consigned at the city terminal will all be double checked after it is delivered to the actual airport to ensure security. Passengers are advised to confirm that their baggage is okay after they arrive at the airport.

At initial stage, passengers will be allowed to check in at the new city terminal if they take Shanghai Air domestic flights which depart later than 11 a.m. every day at the Pudong airport, such as those to Guangzhou, Tianjin, Kunming, Qingdao and Shenzhen.

The local carrier said it expects to extend the service to its international and regional flights very soon because starting October 28, all international and regional flights will be shifted to the Pudong airport from the older Hongqiao facility.

( eastday.com September 10, 2002)