The most expensive new airports in the world

BEIJING

Fronted by pillars of deep imperial red, Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital International Airport boasts skylights that give it a dragon-like appearance. The huge, airy interior have 64 Western and Chinese restaurants, 84 retail shops, and a state-of-the-art-baggage handling system. A high-speed commuter train will whisk passengers into the city, while the runway is capable of handling Airbus' huge A380 superjumbo.

The floor space of the terminal and ground transportation center covers 14 million square feet. It operates around 1100 flights a day, and that figure gets to 1500-1600 at the Olympics in August 2008. More than 5,000 scheduled flights are available to 88 cities in China and 69 cities abroad. Cost – 3.7 billion dollars.

SHANGHAI 

The terminal building of Shanghai Pudong International Airport covers an area about 280,000 m2, with thirteen conveying luggage belts and twenty-eight boarding bridges; the area of food & drinks facilities and other leasing service facilities reaches 60,000 m2.

Currently, Shanghai Pudong International Airport has accommodated an average aircraft movements over 400 times per day, already accounting for approx. 60% of the total aircraft movements of Shanghai. And it is serving for about 50 domestic and foreign airlines, connecting with over 70 international and regional destinations and 60 domestic destinations. Cost – 1.2 billion dollars.

SINGAPORE 

One of the world's best airports, the Singapore Changi Airport offers unparalleled service and facilities at its three Terminals. With the recent opening of Terminal 3, Changi Airport now has a handling capacity of 70 million passengers a year. Located in Changi on a 1,300-hectare (3,200-acre) site, the airport is about 20 kilometers (12 mi) east-northeast of the commercial center of Singapore.

The airlines account for about 4,054 weekly flights operated by 80 airlines to over 184 cities in 57 countries. An important contributor to the Singapore economy, it employs over 13,000 people and accounts for over S$4.5 billion in output. Cost – 8.5 billion dollars.

HEATHROW

Located 15 miles (24 km) west of Central London, England, Heathrow has two parallel main runways running east-west and five terminals. The site covers 12.14 square kilometres (4.69 square miles). Terminal 5 was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 March 2008 and opened to passengers on 27 March 2008.

In November 2007 a consultation process began for the building of a new third runway. Over the next few years almost the entire airport will be rebuilt, refurbished or redesigned. The airport currently employs 68,000 personnel and expects to increase this by 16,500 as a result of the expansion. Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in Europe and passenger numbers are expected to grow by 27 million a year. 

The T5 retail floor space covers around 18,580m². It includes 150 retail units including around 25 restaurants and approximately 3,250m² of duty free shopping. Cost – 8.5 billion dollars.

DELHI

The brand new Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, India, will be a two-tier building, with the bottom floor being the arrivals area, and the top being a departures area. This terminal will have over 160 check-in counters, 74 aerobridges, 30 parking bays, 72 immigration counters, 15 X-ray screening areas, for less waiting times, duty-free shops, and other features. This new terminal is planned to be completed in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which are to be held in Delhi. 

 Terminal 3 will cater to more than 35 million passengers a year. The airport will also have a new runway to cater more than 75 plus flights an hour, almost triple current aircraft movements. The runway will be more than 4,400 m (14,000 ft) long. Once completed, Delhi Airport will have over 500 check-in counters, 200 aerobridges, 150 immigration counters and will be able to handle over 100 million passengers a year. Cost – 1.5 billion dollars.