A third runway at Beijing Capital International Airport has been unveiled, in time to handle traffic expected for the Olympics next year.  The 3,800m runway, equipped with an advanced landing guidance system, is part of an expansion project that includes a new terminal building set to open early next year, writes Chinese news agency Xinhua.

The airport currently handles 1,100 arrivals and departures every day, expected to peak by as much as 1,900 during the Olympics.

The project will enable the airport to accommodate 60 million passengers and handle 1.8 million tons of cargo each year, says Xinhua.

Just to preface our week of comment and information about airlines in Asia we are starting with outline details of airports and major airlines in China. If you feel the list is either incorrect or or incomplete, please contact me with relevant comment.

In a move seen by some airlines cynics as a token move to placate the critics of China's air safety problems, particularly in the run up to the 2008 Olympic Games, the Chinese civil aviation authorities have announced they have started to axe 100's of flights to and from Beijing.  read more »