Beijing Airport: Thinking (Already) About A Fourth Runway

Date: Nov 19th 2008 11:24p.m.

Contributed by:
davidfeng

Massive jams on the runway got you down? We hear you. Or rather, the Airborne Gods hear you.

Three terminals -- three runways; make no mistake about it, this ain't no more "little league" airport. Beijing Capital International Airport, in fact, is thinking already about a Runway 4.

But eventually, traffic will outgrow the wildest predictions in the Chinese capital. Which is why the airport authorities are thinking of Airport Number Two for the Jing. Work, of course, is expected to get underway before 2010.

By the way, Runway 4 will be just east of the present-day Runway 3. That's already very close to the fringes of the northeastern 6th Ring Road.

We're sorry, folks, but if you want to do Runway 5, we'll need to... reroute the 6th Ring Road, at the very least...