cx828 From Hong Kong, joined May 2007, 137 posts, RR: 0 Posted (11 months 18 hours ago) and read 3744 times:
The new airport in Kunming China start to operate today called Kunming Changshui International Airport replace the old one called Kunming Wujiaba International Airport. The new airport has the second largest terminal building in China.
CZ346 From United States of America, joined Feb 2012, 95 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (11 months 9 hours ago) and read 3229 times:
Yet another massive massive airport that wont see half the traffic its built for.
KMG is one of the higher traffic airports though. Nanchang airport IMO is the most absurd, just massive massive facilities and very little traffic.
I've always said the only facility in China thats built to such a massive scale and still needs expansion is the Guangzhou Expo Centre for the Canton Fair..
Rara From Germany, joined Jan 2007, 1826 posts, RR: 3 Reply 3, posted (11 months 9 hours ago) and read 3220 times:
Quoting CZ346 (Reply 2):
Yet another massive massive airport that wont see half the traffic its built for.
KMG is one of the higher traffic airports though. Nanchang airport IMO is the most absurd, just massive massive facilities and very little traffic.
Hmm. And yet in the West, many of our airports are at or over capacity, we have huge difficulties in enlarging them, and we wonder why oh why our politicians didn't have the foresight to make them bigger and more extendable from the get-go...
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Flighty From United States of America, joined Apr 2007, 7450 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (11 months 9 hours ago) and read 3202 times:
Quoting Rara (Reply 3): And yet in the West, many of our airports are at or over capacity, we have huge difficulties in enlarging them, and we wonder why oh why our politicians didn't have the foresight to make them bigger and more extendable from the get-go...
Both methods are wrong... under-building and over-building. Both have long-term permanent costs.
zeke From Hong Kong, joined Dec 2006, 7726 posts, RR: 73 Reply 5, posted (11 months 9 hours ago) and read 3186 times:
Quoting CZ346 (Reply 2): Yet another massive massive airport that wont see half the traffic its built for.
Maybe not today, however as more of the population can afford to fly, and exports increase, the airport will increase in traffic. The other issues with KMG, it is strategically important as a diversion airfield with the high terrain around it. With a single runway only at the old airport, and close in terrain. The new airport is a safer option with two runways, which allows for one to close for maintenance and still provide a landing runway is far better solution.
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I agree. Like I was saying this one will see more than others, along with the problems of the surrounding terrain. I know it will see the traffic.... China needs a huge restructuring of their ATC network and implimentation of precision approaches, and I know that is a big part of why this new airport was built.
Dellatorre From Brazil, joined May 2000, 1084 posts, RR: 2 Reply 7, posted (11 months ago) and read 2858 times:
I don't know about you, but I personally think this airport terminal is stunning!!! Looking at those pictures I felt like I should've been there to experience such a special moment. The yellow is so emblematic of China! I wish we could have anything that would slightly resemble such airport here in Brazil.
lightsaber From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 10691 posts, RR: 100 Reply 9, posted (10 months 4 weeks ago) and read 2113 times:
Congrats on the new airport.
Was the old airport really at 22M+ passengers per year on *one* runway? That is far too congested. Anything more than 15M pax/year on one runway and passengers are being forced to fly at times they would rather not. Which means they might not choose not to fly.
Quoting CZ346 (Reply 2): Yet another massive massive airport that wont see half the traffic its built for.
Airports should be built for 15 years of growth. You managed to take this thread off track pretty quick. However, the new airport should allow 30% growth (call it to 30 mill pax/year) pretty quickly. In other words, a non-capitol city will have the two runways well utilized within 3 to 5 years. So its a good thing more runways are planned. Otherwise that city will be out of capacity well before 15 years from now.
Quoting CZ346 (Reply 2): I've always said the only facility in China thats built to such a massive scale and still needs expansion
PEK and PVG airports both require expansion. Others have in the past. If an airport is maxed out, one should build for twice the current traffic! Any more, and the airport is uneconomical. Any less, and the capacity maxes out too quickly. The fact that the Chinese are planning for future stages of growth?
Imagine if the Thames Estuary airport is ever built with 4 runways and 24/7 operations. We wouldn't be debating about airport access to London, but rather which airport.
Quoting Rara (Reply 3): And yet in the West, many of our airports are at or over capacity, we have huge difficulties in enlarging them, and we wonder why oh why our politicians didn't have the foresight to make them bigger and more extendable from the get-go...
And then we complain when trans-ocean or other long haul hubbing is done in another nation... sigh. Airports should double every 15 years. Growth happens. The question is where, not if.
Quoting zeke (Reply 5): however as more of the population can afford to fly, and exports increase, the airport will increase in traffic.
No one is going to keep billions of people form aspiring to the middle class.
huaiwei From Singapore, joined Oct 2008, 1086 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (10 months 3 weeks 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 2013 times:
Quoting CZ346 (Reply 2):
KMG is one of the higher traffic airports though. Nanchang airport IMO is the most absurd, just massive massive facilities and very little traffic.
If you bother to do a bit of research, Kunming is a much more significant destination than Nanchang due to its location, and the passenger figures reflect this. Kunming is considered a significant gateway to key tourism areas in SW China partly due to the lack of alternatives, while Nanchang is dwarfed by much larger cities around it which are easily accessible by train.
Nanchang airport isn't hugely unnecessarily massive, btw, running at 5 million in a 12 million capacity airport. There are better examples to target, such as Zhuhai, then the second largest in China in terms of area (IIRC) and built for 12 million people back in 1995, is still handling only 1.8 million last year despite promises of a new dawn around 2005 due to cooperative agreements with HKIA.
It's huaiwei...not huawei. I have nothing to do with the PRC! :)
as739x From United States of America, joined Apr 2003, 5820 posts, RR: 23 Reply 12, posted (10 months 3 weeks 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 1960 times:
Quoting PHX787 (Reply 11): Kunming Changshui International Airport
Looking at it on google maps, it doesn't appear so.
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We wouldn't be debating about airport access to London, but rather which airport. 
No one is going to keep billions of people form aspiring to the middle class.
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