The major structure of the new East Airside Concourse has been topped off at Zhuhai (Jinwan) Airport and more than 200 workers will remain on the job throughout Spring Festival.

The contractor says more than half the three-dimensional space truss members will have been hoisted into place by the Feb 11-17 holiday, one year ahead of schedule, and the South and West airside concourses will also have reinforced concrete baseplates in place by then. Half the 4.8-billion-yuan ($743-million) project cost had been expended as of Jan 21.

Major structure of East Airside Concourse topped off [Photo by Chen Xinnian / Guanhai App]

The main terminal building on Central Jinhai Road in Sanzao Town, with two levels underground and four above, will be topped off in October, according to Tang Mingcheng of the China Construction Second Engineering Bureau. The airport will handle 198,000 flights, 27.5 million passengers, and 104,000 tons of cargo and mail annually when the additional terminal opens in June 2023.

With floorage of 190,000 sqm (47 acres), the seabird-shaped T2 will be connected by concourse to Terminal I on its west side. The polygonal cornice will match the current terminal in architectural style and also display images of seabirds, shells, waves, and corollas, said deputy chief engineer Lu Huaying.

Construction of the second terminal encompasses a comprehensive transport hub, aprons, second taxiway, relocated firefighting master station, and isolated aircraft stands.

Currently, the 92,000-sq-m (23-acre) Terminal I is on the brink of designed capacity.