Xi’an Airport, China’s eighth largest airport, to open third terminal and second runway, in Mar-2012

Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, a growing airport hub for western China, was China’s eighth busiest airport in 2010. With a growth rate of around 18% (to 18 million passengers), Xi’an was the third fastest growing major airport in China (airports with more than 10 million annual pax) behind only the two Shanghai airports; Pudong and Hongqiao. Growth is expected to continue with the airport tipped to handle over 21 million passengers in 2011, for an increase of around 17%. The anticipated strong growth will be supported by the airport’s new Terminal 3, which is scheduled to open in Mar-2012. The facility is expecting to handle 31 million passengers, 230,000 aircraft movements and 400,000 tonnes of cargo by 2020, supported by the new terminal and runway.