A passenger walks through the departure lounge of Shanghai Pudong International Airport. [Photo/IC]

Shanghai Pudong International Airport is revving up efforts to build itself into a world-class aviation hub, with the world's largest satellite terminal building to be put into operation in the second half of this year, local media reported on March 5.

Covering an area of about 600,000 square meters, the new hall will provide passengers with departure and transit services with an aim to improve the airport's comprehensive support capacity and increase its annual passenger capacity to 80 million in 2020.

Considered as the second largest gateway in China, Pudong International Airport now has become one of the world's top ten international airports and receives the highest amount of foreign passengers among all of China's airports.

It handled over 74 million passengers and 3.77 million tonnes of cargo and mail in 2018, ranking ninth and third globally.

Pudong International Airport would not be better off without the opportunities brought by the opening up of Pudong New Area and the leading position of Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta region, said Hu Zhihong, general manager of Shanghai International Airport Co.

Consumers buy cosmetics at the duty-free shop in Shanghai Pudong International Airport. [Photo/IC]

While working on the main business of aviation industry, Pudong airport has also vigorously expanded the amount and variety of its non-aviation businesses.

Over the past three years, the revenue generated by non-aviation business accounted for over 50 percent of the airport's total, among which the tax-free business income plays a crucial role.

"The cosmetic products in the duty-free shops of Pudong International Airport are sold at the most competitive price in the world and we will continue to expand the commodity department after the satellite hall goes into operation," said Hu, adding that the duty-free shops in Pudong airport will become a shopping hotspot for inbound and outbound passengers.

Meanwhile, the airport will also further improve the scale and quality of its catering businesses amid efforts to satisfy the different catering needs of passengers that pass through the airport's terminals daily.

(english.pudong.gov.cn)