The investment in the runway and the terminal building is expected to exceed 10 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion), said Du Chuncai, president of Shanghai Airport Group Company.

"We must step up construction. Otherwise, we won't be able to meet the passenger boom during the exposition period," Du said.

Du added that air traffic of 50 million passengers per year is expected in Shanghai by 2010 as measured by its fast pace of economic growth. Adding in World Expo visitors, the number of passengers that year will likely exceed 80 million.

"We must complete the other three runways before 2010 to meet the growing demand," Du said.

The second runway is scheduled to be completed next year and the terminal put into service in 2007. The need for speed has led planners to scrap the renovation's original blueprint, which required the airport to be built in four phases, each containing one runway and one terminal.

"But it's too slow. We will break down the planning and speed up the construction," Du said.

According to Yi Jiwu, spokesman for the airport group, the plan for the second terminal is being revised and will require approval from the State.

According to the revised plan, the terminal will serve not only the second runway but also the third and fourth ones, Yi said.

"The revision is designed for passengers' convenience when they transfer planes and also to reduce the investment," Yi said.

The third and fourth runways are expected to cost a combined 4 billion yuan (US$484 million).

Last year Shanghai airports handled 24.68 million passengers, an increase of 19.5 per cent over the previous year.

The three-year-old Pudong airport handled 11 million passengers on 107,287 flights last year, nearly half of the combined 225,167 flights dealt with by the two airports.

Since flights were moved from Hongqiao to Pudong on October 27, 2002, Pudong airport has handled 375 flights and 47,600 passengers daily, up 100 flights and 20,000 passengers over the period before the transfer of flights.

(China Daily January 3, 2003)