It will be the city’s first 4F class airport, which means it is large enough to accommodate the world’s largest commercial aircraft, including A380 and Boeing 787, making it a new transportation hub in Northeast Asia.
An aerial view of Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport on May 12, 2020.
Zhao Jianpeng / VCG / Getty Images
Capacity to serve 60 million passengers.
The new airport will dramatically increase the province’s air traffic capacity.
Staff members walk through the departure hall of the Jiaodong International Airport Terminal Building.
CHINO NOUVELLE / SIPA / Shutterstock
Paper-thin ceiling, water-saving “sponge airport” design
The design helps reduce the walking distances between the main check-in hall and the terminal’s furthest gates from 470,000 square meters to no more than 550 meters.
Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport is topped by an ultra-thin stainless steel roof.
Zhao Jianpeng / VCG / Getty Images
However, unlike the steel and glass roof of Beijing Daxing Airport, the new Qingdao Airport features an ultra-thin stainless steel roof that measures just 0.5 millimeters, the thickness of a sheet of A4 paper. The roof, which covers a total area of 223,000 square meters, is the largest of its kind in the world, according to state media reports.
Another similarity between the two airports is the emphasis on green water treatment systems.
Known as a “sponge airport”, Qingdao Jiaodong has been designed to absorb and store excess rainwater that can be recycled and reused when needed.
The high-speed rail and subway lines will connect Qingdao to the new airport, and authorities say it will take about an hour to travel from the city center to the new center.
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