Here comes the World's Largest Airport - Beijing, China

Forty-two flights arrived or departed from the terminal on its first day Friday,

said Dong Zhiyi, the general manager of the Beijing Capital International Airport

(BCIA).

With a floor space of 986,000 square meters, more than double the total area

of the first two terminals, the new building could be the largest of its kind

in the world, said construction manager Fan Jun.

The dragon-shaped building was built at a cost of $3.8 billion and it was designed by

British architect Lord Foster and construction, and these all took off on March 28, 2004.

It will give the airport a handling capacity of 76 million passengers a year,

more than double the previous 36 million. Last year, 53.47 million passengers

passed through the airport, putting it among the world's 10 busiest.

The airport is expected to receive about 5.56 million people during the Olympics

in August.

It has almost doubled the number of BCIA taxiways from 71 to 137 and number of

aircraft stands from 164 to 314. It can also receive the new Airbus A-380, the

world's largest passenger aircraft.

Three highway roads are also under construction to connect the new terminal to

the existing traffic system.

And the new terminal will be used by six airlines initially which are Sichuan Airlines,

Shandong Airlines, Qatar Airlines, Qantas Airways, British Airways and El Al

Israel Airlines. A further 21 airlines will start using it March 29.

China is also upgrading several standby airports near Beijing for the Olympics

by renovating terminals, enlarging tarmacs, lengthening runways and improving

services.

Pretty sick structure Lord Foster put together right there.