China will open its first facility for private jets next year at Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport, sometime before the World Expo opens there in May, Shanghai Daily reported this week. The project is already under construction. The 10,000-square-foot private-jet terminal will provide its own security inspections, quarantine facilities and customs, separate from the other air passenger traffic. A hangar will provide space for up to three jets. Officials said up to 4,000 private jets will arrive in Shanghai during the Expo, according to Shanghai Daily. That’s about twice as many private jet flights as the entire country now handles in a year.
The World Expo will be open from May 1 to Oct. 31 next year, and up to 70 million visitors are expected for a “grand gathering of the world cultures,” according to the event’s Web site. More than 20,000 events will be held at up to three dozen venues around the city.
