WORK on soft soil treatment for the construction of Terminal 4 of the Shenzhen airport is in progress, according to a report by the Shenzhen Economic Daily on Sunday.

For the construction of Terminal 4, which is scheduled to begin in 2020, a total of 10 million cubic meters of soil will be handled.

Located north of Terminal 3 and covering an area of 4.3 million square meters, Terminal 4 will be comprised of a main structure, a satellite hall and auxiliary facilities.

Terminal 4 will be connected with T3 by a system of automated people movers (APM). The new terminal is expected to handle 22 million passengers a year, sharing the passenger load with Terminal 3, which is estimated to serve 52 million people annually  by 2025.

Terminal 3 was put into operation at the end of 2013. With the opening of Terminal 3, more domestic and international routes were opened over the past four years. In 2017 alone, the Shenzhen airport launched 16 international routes, bringing the total number of overseas destination cities to 36.

The international passenger turnover also increased to 2.95 million in 2017, an increase of 32 percent over the previous year. At the end of 2017, passenger turnover reached 45.6 million, three years ahead of the target of the airport’s medium-term development plan. To meet the demand, the airport will initiate the construction of a satellite waiting hall and affiliated apron areas this year.

According to the budget report passed by the city’s legislature in 2015, the city will spend 11.2 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion) on the construction of a third runway, landfill and soft soil base treatment. (Han Ximin)