CHINA. Shanghai Airport Authority (SAA) has appointed US architectural and design firm Corgan to build the world’s largest satellite concourse at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
The new Terminal South Satellite Concourse will have more than 100 boarding gates and will be designed by Corgan and Chinese partner IPPR, which won a design competition between six firms.
The facility is part of SAA’s plan to become the premier international hub airport in Asia, and to keep pace with the growth of China’s largest city and financial capital.
Shanghai Pudong International Airport currently operates two terminals with 28 and 42 gates respectively. It aims to welcome 80 million passengers by 2020.
“Shanghai Airport Authority has a bold plan for Pudong’s future so we’ve conceived a bold design concept,” said Jonathan Massey, Principal for Corgan’s Aviation Design Studio. “The result is a building that creates a sense of excitement for passengers while expanding commerce for the SAA and its tenants. Our mission is to take the passenger experience to a higher level.”
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Passenger numbers at Shanghai airports exceed 80 million in 2013
According to SAA and CAPA-Centre for Aviation, combined passenger numbers at Shanghai Pudong and Shanghai Hongqiao airports grew +5.2% year-on-year to hit a record 82.8 million in 2013, with 47.2 million passengers at Pudong and 35.6 million at Hongqiao, representing increases of +5.1% and +5.0% respectively.
The growth makes Shanghai the seventh city in the world with more than 80 million air passengers after London, New York, Tokyo, Atlanta, Paris and Beijing. Passenger numbers at both airports have grown an average of +14.5% annually over the past nine years (from 35.9 million passengers in 2004), reflecting the rise of Shanghai in the past decade.
The Lunar New Year festive period recently saw a robust +14.7% passenger traffic growth at both airports in January 2014. Passenger numbers hit 7.1 million during the month, 4.0 million at Pudong (+14.3%) and 3.1 million at Hongqiao (+15.2%).
According to CAPA, 93 airlines operate scheduled services to/from Shanghai, including 23 domestic carriers and 70 foreign carriers, serving 239 destinations, 125 domestic and 114 overseas cities.
