To print: Click here or Select File and then Print from your browser's menu

This story was printed from silicon.com, located at http://www.silicon.com/

Story URL: http://www.silicon.com/retailandleisure/0,3800011842,39179651,00.htm

Beijing airport gets in shape for Olympics
Tech transformation to make things 'stress-free'…

By Tim Ferguson

Published: Monday 31 March 2008

Beijing's new $3bn airport terminal has completed the rollout of a major part of its IT infrastructure ahead of the Olympic Games in August.

Sita, the IT services company which specialises in aviation, has completed the installation of 700 work stations that will be used for check-in, boarding and transfers.

All the tech at Heathrow T5…

Video: Heathrow T5's cutting-edge baggage tech

Video: Heathrow Terminal 5 uncovered

Photos: Passenger's eye view of Heathrow Terminal 5

Photos: Inside Heathrow's Terminal 5

Photos: Heathrow's Terminal 5 comes alive

Photos: Technology at the heart of Terminal 5

Beijing is due to host the Olympic Games in August and has built the new terminal at Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) to cope with the predicted surge in air travellers.

Like London Heathrow's Terminal 5 - which endured a problematic opening last week - BCIA's Terminal 3 is intended to dramatically boost the capacity of the airport by 30 million passengers per year.

Terminal 3 took fours years to build and opened in two stages, becoming fully operational on 26 March.

The terminal uses Sita's AirportConnect software on 330 check-in counters and will extend the software to 50 self service kiosks in time for the Olympics.

Gao Lijia, deputy general manager for BCIA, said the deployment of the technology will make travel to and from the Olympic Games as "stress-free as possible for both athletes and spectators".

The number of flights arriving in Beijing is predicted to increase by 70 per cent during the Games with peak days of around 1,900 flights, compared to the usual 1,150 average.