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Home >> Forum >> Beijing opens new huge terminal Civil aviation forum
Beijing opens new huge terminal
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Message of Spot planes - Sent 01 Mar 23:35 |
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by Guy Newey Fri Feb 29, 2:39 AM ET
BEIJING (AFP) - From the enormous galactic ceiling to its winding network of baggage carousels, the scale of Beijing's new airport terminal wowed visitors Friday and left its creators beaming with pride.
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Travellers immediately grabbed for their cameras as they walked under a sweeping arch supported by huge red pillars into the terminal's giant atrium, housing more than 300 check-in counters.
This is a new source of pride for Chinese people. The ceiling is galactic, said Zhang Wu, who works in Moscow as the representative for a Chinese chemical firm.
The first passenger off the inaugural flight from eastern Shandong province, a businesswoman who gave her surname as Zhang, was mobbed by photographers and reporters.
I feel very lucky to be the first passenger and I think that the new terminal is very beautiful and very light, she said.
On its first day T3 showed it was beginning to tackle the typical grumbles of visitors negotiating Chinese airports.
The approach road diverts drivers to a nearly empty four-lane carriageway, away from the often-congested expressway leading to the other two terminals. Although the carriageway could soon become cluttered as passenger numbers rise after it becomes fully operational from March 25.
Once inside, the immaculate floor reflects the space-age ceiling, which gives the impression of a star-lit sky.
While passengers often complain that Chinese airport food is of poor quality and ridiculously overpriced, T3 is stacked with shops and restaurants, ranging from Thai food to fast food, including Burger King.
The bookshop did not stock any international news titles and had only a few English-language books that were, perhaps unsurprisingly, focused on the marvels of Chinese architecture.
Even the baggage system, often a source of frustration, worked well, although the first flight was met by a squadron of handlers, something that may be difficult to sustain.
Everything was very, very good. It only took five minutes to get our baggage, which is one of the differences compared to the other terminals, said Gerry Fakiris, from Greece, who was on the first arrival from Shandong.
The baggage conveyor system is just one of the staggering statistics at the new terminal, stretching for 68 kilometres (42 miles).
The building itself is roughly the size of 170 soccer pitches and hailed by Chinese authorities as the biggest airport terminal in the world.
We could not have done it anywhere else but China, said Jeff Martin, who managed the system's construction for engineering firm Siemens.
The British designers and engineers -- architect Norman Foster and engineering group Arup -- were keen to try to incorporate as many Chinese characteristics in the design as they could.
The dragon-shaped terminal uses a red and gold colour scheme, auspicious colours for the Chinese, while the roof is based on the Chinese character for people, appropriate given the number of workers required to build it.
At one point, we had over 50,000 workers on site. It was basically an army, said Rory McGowan, Asian director of Arup, who also was on the first international journey out of the terminal, a British Airways flight to London.
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Message of Werkur737 - Sent 01 Mar 1:00 |
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Spot planes,
It seems a great terminal, and one of the most beautiful too, like the HKG and KIX (Kansai).
I did not get a reply from you about the spotting guide email i sent to you.
Werner.
AIRFLEETS.NET STAFF
PHOTO SCREENER
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