City airports handle 5 percent more passengers in 2018
Shanghai's two airports handled over 117 million passengers both home and abroad in 2018, a 5.2 percent increase year on year, the city's airport authority announced on Tuesday.
The Pudong International Airport received some 74 million passengers throughout 2018, while the Hongqiao airport served 43 million inbound and outbound travelers. Both airports handled 4.16 million tons of cargo, the same with 2017, the Shanghai Airport Authority said.
There are 107 airlines operating flights to 300 destinations in 48 nations worldwide. Flights to five new overseas destinations were opened in 2018.
The punctuality rate at both airports have been improved. The on-time rate at the Hongqiao airport reached 88.78 percent, along with 82.46 percent at the Pudong airport between January and November in 2018, in spite of more frequent snows, typhoons and severe convection weathers last year, according to the airport authority.
During the first China International Import Expo in November, the punctuality rates reached 92.11 percent at Pudong and 95.08 percent at the Hongqiao airport.
The airport authority has also launched the fast paperless check-in and boarding procedures at both airports. The airports now allow passengers to use a QR code sent by an airline to their mobile phone when they book a flight to complete check-in, customs clearance, immigration inspection, security checks and boarding. They can also shop at duty-free stores by scanning the code on their phone.
Meanwhile, construction started on a new transport hub at the Pudong airport over the weekend to cap the demands of rising passengers' turnout. The transport hub beneath the existing transport center between the two terminal buildings will connect the P1 garage with the magnetic rail and Metro Line 2 as well as serve the future express Metro line to connect the city’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports.
Expansion work is ongoing at the Pudong airport to build the world’s largest satellite terminal building. Upon its completion in 2019, the new terminal will increase the capacity of the airport to 80 million passengers annually, according to the airport authority.