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| Sunday, 31 March 2002 |
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China
mulls second international airport in Beijing for 2008 Games BEIJING, March 30 (AFP) - Beijing is considering building a second international airport in order to handle the massive inflow of travelers expected for the 2008 Summer Olympics, state media said Saturday. Expansion work at Beijing's existing international airport was completed in 1999 and is only intended to handle an annual passenger flow of 35 million forecast for 2005, the Beijing Morning Post reported. "No doubt many people have started worrying how to accommodate the large number of passengers after 2005, and especially during the 2008 Games," the paper said. Aviation authorities have already concluded that building a new international airport from scratch may be a better solution than expanding the existing airport, the paper said. A new airport will also fit the expected speedy economic development of the Beijing area over the next 10 to 20 years, the paper said. The civil aviation administration recently set up a special ad hoc group to study the proposal, it said. More than six years before the Olympics, traffic at the existing airport is already hectic. During peak hours the airport handles 52 flights an hour, up from 48 flights last year, the paper said. Municipal authorities said this week the construction of 19 new venues for the Games will cost 1.44 billion dollars. Related items such as the Olympic village, a press center and a broadcasting center will carry a price tag of 1.94 billion dollars, they said. |
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