Beijing's expanded Capital Airport will test its three runways next October in the configuration designed for the 2008 Olympic Games.

The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) said on Monday that it had signed a contract with the Boeing Company to conduct a study of the operating mode for the three runways, taking the Atlanta International Airport as a comparison.

After six months of trial operation, the three runways, two old ones and the newly constructed one, will begin official operation in May 2008.

Computer simulation modeling and analysis will help maximize the efficient operation of the three runways, said the CAAC.

Under CAAC's air traffic control plan for the 2008 Olympic Games, the Capital Airport will upgrade its existing facilities and build two new radar navigators and a series of signal processing systems for communication and weather observation.

Facing increasing international flights, the CAAC plans to launch new air routes linking China with Mongolia and the Republic of Korea. New routes linking Beijing with Shanghai and south China's Guangzhou city will also be opened to alleviate busy air traffic in Beijing and east China.

The Capital Airport is being expanded to cope with rising passenger volumes and a massive inflow of tourists expected for the 2008 Olympic Games.

(Xinhua News Agency August 22, 2006)