Beijing's Capital International Airport (BCIA) successfully tested the simultaneous use of three runways on Tuesday, the first operation of its kind in Asian aviation history.

Arrival and departure capacity will be increased from 80 flights to 105 to 115 flights per hour when the third terminal goes into operation in February of next year, said BCIA controlling office director Yang Fei.

The third runway, scheduled to go into use by the end of October, will provide solid support for air transport during the Beijing Olympic Games.

The simultaneous use of three runways is a challenge and only a few airports in the United States and Europe manage it, said Duan Shili, an official with China's General Administration of Civil Aviation.

To prepare for the Olympics, the airport has been expanding since March 2004.

The enlarged airport will be able to accommodate 60 million passengers and handle 1.8 million tons of cargo each year.

The expansion project includes the construction of a third runway, a new terminal building covering 420,000 square meters, 100 new aprons, a cargo zone and auxiliary facilities.

The airport presently has two runways and two terminals with a combined capacity to handle 35 million passengers a year.

Official forecasts estimate that the peak monthly passenger arrival at the airport will hit 5.56 million travelers during the Olympics, equivalent to the normal transport volume predicted for 2015.

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2007)