(Yicai) Dec. 11 -- China's western Sichuan province plans to advance construction of the second phase of the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport over the next five years, making it the country's second airport capable of handling more than 100 million passengers a year.

Tianfu Airport will have an annual passenger capacity of 115 million after its second phase is completed, according to Sichuan's recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan issued yesterday.

Tianfu Airport opened on June 27, 2021, just over five years after starting construction. It has two terminals and three runways and can handle 60 million passengers and 1.3 million tons of cargo and mail a year, ranking fifth in China by passenger flow last year.

Based on growth trends, Tianfu Airport's annual passenger traffic is nearing capacity and will face peak pressure within three to five years at the latest, so the second phase should be advanced as soon as possible, said Gu Xingshu, vice dean of Southwest Minzu University's School of Public Administration. The expansion project is in the stage of preliminary planning, feasibility study, and schematic design, Gu noted.

On Oct. 30, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in southern China completed its third-phase expansion, opening its Terminal 3 and the fifth runway to meet annual demand for 120 million passengers and 3.8 million tons of cargo and mail. Its ultimate capacity will reach 140 million passengers and 6 million tons of cargo and mail, making it the world's largest airport.

In addition, the fourth-phase expansion of Shanghai Pudong International Airport, which began construction in 2022, is expected to lift its annual passenger capacity to 130 million by 2030, while Beijing Daxing International Airport has a long-term plan to handle over 100 million passengers a year.

The combined throughput of Chengdu's two major airports is almost 100 million, handling a record 87.34 million passengers and 1.03 million tons of cargo and mail last year, up 17 percent and 33 percent, respectively, from 2023. Passenger numbers at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport rose 7.6 percent to 32.43 million, while those at Tianfu Airport surged 23 percent to 54.91 million.

Despite Tianfu Airport's passenger traffic growth showing signs of slowing this year, the latest data suggests that the combined figure at the two Chengdu airports could still top 90 million, Gu pointed out.

Editor: Martin Kadiev