Pudong International Airport

Pudong International Airport is Shanghai's New International Airport

Pudong International Airport is also known as Shanghai Pudong International Airport because it is located well within Shanghai, China, in the eastern Pudong district. It came into existence in 1999 when Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport was retired, so all the international air travel capacity of the first airport was re-assigned to Pudong International Airport. However, this does not mean that Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport will not be heard from anymore since it will eventually be re- assigned certain international flights by October 2007.

Expansion by Pudong International Airport

Pudong International Airport is slated to open a third runway by the 4th quarter of 2007, while a fourth runway is still in the offing. It is also constructing Terminal 2 which should be finished by end of 2007. The master plan for growth of Pudong International Airport should result in completion of a total of five parallel runways, two satellite halls, and three terminals so that it can finally handle up to 80 million passengers annually.

Pudong International Airport initially relied on a grant from the Japanese government of 40 billion yen (equivalent to around $400 million.) Terminal 2 is being constructed because aircraft are forced to park on the apron of the airport during rush-hour while Pudong International Airport tries to manage aircraft movements. At present, Terminal 1 handles all of the air movement capacity.

Carriers serving the airport

Pudong International Airport is served by five Airbus A380 aircraft owned by China Southern Airlines - however, it remains to be seen if China Southern Airlines will make the airport into one of its air travel hubs. Foreign-owned carriers also operate at Pudong International Airport. Some familiar names of foreign carriers here are Virgin Atlantic Airways, United Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, and Philippine Airlines.

Domestic flights originating from Pudong International Airport are served by Chinese carriers, namely, Shenzen Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Air China.

Cargo movement is handled by many carriers, some of which are Cathay Pacific Cargo, KLM Cargo, and JAL Cargo. Transportation services The advanced magnetic levitation train, dubbed the Maglev, is connected directly to Pudong International Airport, with one trip lasting a mere eight minutes and costing Y50. You may also opt to take a cab from the airport but may be prohibitive because they cost much more. It also takes longer to get to Shanghai proper via taxi service, up to an hour sometimes. It is not recommended for newcomers to Shanghai to take the public buses. If you can ask your hotel to send a representative to help you from the airport onward, that would be preferable.

Another way to get around is to rent your own car from car rental companies such as Hertz and AVIS. Services within the airport For those who require it, Internet access is offered by a net caf�. You may also opt for luggage storage service, mail a package from the post office, patronize the Business Centre, or use financial services at the currency exchange, ATMs, and banks operating at the airport.

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