Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport’s third runway will enter service late next year, further lifting the status of the airport cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Shenzhen Municipality’s Bureau of Public Works said the project’s completion will enable the airport to handle up to 80 million passengers and 2.6 million tons of cargo annually, bolstering the development of the region’s network of world-class airports.

The airport’s existing two runways are designed to accommodate 45 million passengers, but the annual passenger volume in recent years had exceeded 50 million, reaching almost 53 million last year - significantly above the airport’s handling capacity.

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Shenzhen started construction work on its airport’s third runway in 2020 with a total investment of 12.3 billion yuan ($1.69 billion). The new runway, covering an area about the size of 400 standard football pitches, can accommodate all types of commercial aircraft.

“Shenzhen’s airport has been at a disadvantage in terms of travel and airspace resources for a long time. But, in recent years, these constraints have been gradually easing along with a steady increase in international routes. As a result, its competitiveness has significantly improved,” said Wang Guowen, director of the Center for Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Shenzhen-based think tank, the China Development Institute.

Since early this year, the airport has resumed eight international passenger routes, and the number of global and regional passenger destinations has surpassed 40. In addition, its international passenger throughput has gone up by 180 percent year-on-year.

As one of the core airport hubs in the Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport will contribute to the coordinated development and construction of a world-class airport cluster in the region, an official of the Shenzhen Municipal Transportation Bureau said.

International airports in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Guangdong’s provincial capital, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are the three key aviation hubs in the area, and are trying to accelerate their development. Hong Kong International Airport is also adding a third runway system that’s due to be completed this year, with the facilities entering service in phases according to passenger demand. The aim is to handle 120 million passengers and 10 million tons of cargo annually by 2035. The SAR’s airport catered to more than 25.3 million passengers in the first half of this year, according to Airport Authority Hong Kong.

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The annual passenger capacity of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is projected to reach 120 million on completion of the airport’s third phase of expansion program next year. The city will begin building its second airport this year.

Despite stiff competition among airports in the Greater Bay Area, experts believe the region’s market is vast enough to meet these expansion projects, turning the area into a world-class aviation cluster.

According to the International Air Transport Association, the demand for air travel in the region, in terms of passenger volume, will reach 387 million by 2030 and 420 million by 2035. The total passenger volume recorded at all airports in the Greater Bay Area was about 180 million last year.

Contact the writer at grace@chinadailyhk.com