Shanghai Pudong International Airport says it will be home to the world’s largest satellite airport terminal.
While there is no official announcement from Shanghai Pudong Airport on the exact opening date of the facility, Delta has issued an airport advisory on its website, informing passengers that it will operate out of the airport’s new satellite terminal starting September 23. The airport also said in April that a mass transit railway system will be put into service connecting the satellite terminal with the main terminals in September this year.
The satellite terminal building, for which construction began in December 2015, is part of the third phase of the airport’s expansion. With a gross floor area of around 622,000 sqm, the airport says it is the largest satellite terminal building in the world. The H-shaped facility, situated to the south of the two existing terminals T1 and T2, is comprised of two satellite terminals named S1 and S2, and is also equipped with 83 jet bridges and 125 apron spaces for aircraft. Delta has said that it will operate out of the S1 concourse, while its check-in counters will remain at T1.
According to the Shanghai Airport Authority, the satellite terminal S1 will be connected to T1 via the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) west line, and will be used to serve China Eastern and its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines, as well as other Skyteam member airlines; while the satellite terminal S2 will be connected to T2 via the MRT east line, serving China Southern, Air China and other member airlines of Star Alliance. The two satellite terminals are connected to each other via a corridor. Passengers will still need to complete all the check-in formalities in T1 or T2, before taking the MRT to the satellite terminal building for boarding.
The Shanghai Airport Authority says the satellite terminal building is designed to “act as a transfer stop which can save passengers’ time in changing planes”. In 2018, Shanghai Pudong Airport recorded a passenger capacity of 74 million. When the satellite terminal facility is put into use, the airport’s annual passenger capacity is expected to reach 80 million.
In other news, Cathay Pacific reopened its lounge at Shanghai Pudong International Airport Terminal 2 last month after it was temporarily closed from October 29 last year for renovation.
Photo credit: Shanghai Airport Authority