Official use of satellite hall expands SZ airport capacity

A Flight CZ3553 passenger prepares to board at the satellite hall of Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport yesterday. The flight was one of the two first flights using the hall when the new facility was put into service on the day.Xinhua

THE satellite hall of Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport marked its official operation yesterday with two flights, Shenzhen Airlines’ ZH9103 and China Southern Airlines’ CZ3553, taking off simultaneously.

An inauguration ceremony was also held at the hall yesterday, attended by Shenzhen Party chief Wang Weizhong.

The X-shaped satellite hall, located to the north of Terminal 3 (T3), is designed to handle 22 million passengers a year.

It operates interdependently with T3 through a rapid transit system and serves auxiliary functions. It has 53 boarding bridges — 42 standard ones and 11 flexible ones.

The 240,000-square-meter facility is a five-story complex where each floor has a specific function. The underground floor is for the rapid rail system, the ground floor is the arrival hall for rapid transit passengers and the second floor is the domestic arrival hall. The third floor is the domestic departure hall, which is equipped with services for food and shopping. The fourth floor contains VIP and business-class lounges.

Passengers bound for boarding gates 510-583 need to board at the satellite hall. Departing passengers will need to complete check-in and security checks at T3 before taking the rapid transit system to the satellite hall. The rapid transit system’s entrance can easily be found after passengers complete their check-in.

According to the airport, during the hall’s early-stage operation, 18 independent train cars are put into service. Four train cars form a group, and more cars can be added depending on passenger flows. Each car can hold a maximum of 147 passengers.

The airport reminds passengers arriving in Shenzhen that they still need to go to T3 to claim their luggage after arriving at the satellite hall. The RFID and ATR-equipped luggage transit system is fully automated and can transport luggage in three minutes to T3, which is 1.7 kilometers away.

The satellite hall is designed and built to be a low-carbon and intelligent project. All of its boarding gates are equipped with facial recognition systems and nearly 1,000 different kinds of sofas and chairs are equipped with charging ports for electronic devices. The hall is also equipped with baby nursing rooms and children’s playgrounds.

Meanwhile, passengers waiting on the third floor can enjoy views of the sea, mountains, and planes taking off and landing from an outdoor terrace, which is designed for passengers to rest.

According to Chen Jinzu, chairman of Shenzhen Airport Group, the satellite hall’s operation is a new starting point and during the 14th Five-Year Plan period the airport is pushing forward construction of its third runway, Airport East Transport Hub, and Terminal 2 expansion and renovation.

With all the new facilities in place in the future, the airport is expected to handle 100 million passengers each year, according to Shenzhen Special Zone Daily. (Shenzhen Daily)