World's Biggest Airport Opens in Beijing

The world's biggest airport is now finished and ready for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The $3.5 billion gigantic dragon terminal, which is the centerpiece of the 501-square-mile complex capable of allowing 50 million passengers per year, looks even more impressive in the amazing, almost unreal photos.

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The new Terminal 3 has been designed to be energy efficient, allowing for natural lightning—whenever it is possible and the city smog allows, I guess—and packing all the facilities into a single structure, rather than fragmenting them in separate buildings, the building is 17% bigger than London Heathrow T1, T2, T3, T4 and the new T5 put together.

With a total of five floors—two underground— the dragon terminal is divided into three parts: the 3C is the domestic hall, and the main passenger terminal, 3D is the Olympics hall, used for charter flights during the celebrations, and 3E is the international hall.

Original here