Shanghai, which is a mind-blowing tourist destination in the world, could be accessed through Shanghai Pudong International Airport. This airport is a main aviation center in Asia especially in the East Asian region. This airport is the chief international airport that serves Shanghai of the people’s Republic of China. The airport lies at a distance of 30 kilometres from the city centre. It is also a main hub for China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines and also a principal international hub for Air China. The airport has two major passenger terminals that are bordered by three parallel runways from both the sides of the terminals.
The runway length of this airport is 13123 feet and has an elevation of 13 feet. It serves 60 million passengers every year and if the future plans get over till 2015 like building a new passenger terminal, a satellite terminal and two more runways will bring some 80 million passengers a year. Its ability to handle 6 million tones of air freight will also be increased. A station were also been sited for the Shanghai Maglev Train in between the passenger terminals that offers first commercial high-speed maglev service in the world to downtown Pudong within just 7.20 minutes.
This airport is the major centre for cargo traffic in the entire world. It handles 2,602,916 metric tonnes every year and is the third busiest airport in the world as per freight traffic. As compared to the Beijing Capital International Airport, this airport manages more international passengers. As per the infrastructure, this airport had 28 boarding bridges with 127 parking spaces and also with a tarmac of 1.49 million square metres when Terminal 2 was not opened. It has two distinct runways. 4,000 metre runway which are on category 4E and the 3,800 metre runway with category 4F rating and are able to handle Airbus A380. It was said that the third runway will come under the category of 4F rating.
The airlines that are operated from this airport are Aeroflot, Aeroméxico, Air Canada, Air China, Air France, Air India, Air Macau, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Dragonair, Emirates Airline, EVA Air, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Grand China Express, Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Express Airways, Japan Airlines, Japan Airlines operated by JAL Express, Juneyao Airlines, KLM, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Shandong Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Spring Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Thai Airways International, Transasia Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
With this several cargo flights are also operated from this airport like Aeroflot-Cargo, Air China Cargo, Air France, Air Hong Kong, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, ANA & JP Express, Atlas Air, Cargolux, China Cargo Airlines, El Al Cargo, Emirates SkyCargo, FedEx Express, Great Wall Airlines, JAL Cargo, MASkargo, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Polar Air Cargo, SAS Cargo Group, Shanghai Airlines Cargo, Singapore Airlines Cargo, TNT Airways, UPS Airlines, Volga-Dnepr and Yangtze River Express.
The airport code is PVG and has an official website as www.shanghaiairport.com. The airport has three floor multi-storey car parks where more than 3000 vehicles can be placed and a surface car park for short and long term parking are also available in front of the terminal building. You can hire a car from the airport to reach to your destination. Other transportations like rail, bus and taxis are available at the airport. For information you can head to the information counters that could be found in front of Domestic and International security checks. You will also get a flight and general information line. Flight information in English could be found inside the terminal.
The Shanghai Pudong International Airport also offers basic facilities to its passengers like money and communications, eating and drinking, shopping, luggage, conference and business facilities and others. Some banks, ATMs, telephones, internet access, bureaux de change and post office are there at the airport. In the Departures hall you will get gift shops and also duty-free shops. Left luggage facility is available in two of the terminals. Besides this, lost and found luggage office is available in between Gates 8 and 9 in international arrivals. Pharmacy, baby change and feeding room, nursing room all are available in the airport.
You have an option of business centre that is situated between the international and domestic arrivals and offers telephones, fax and internet facilities. A VIP room and several lounges are also available for conference and business. Jinjiang Inn Pudong Airport Hotel and Ramada Pudong Airport Shanghai Hotel are there to serve the conference and business facilities. Facilities for disabled passengers are also available like toilets, lifts and ramps. To get wheelchairs and special assistance the disabled travellers should contact their airline before travelling.
For accommodation the airport has Jinjiang Inn Pudong Airport Hotel and Ramada Pudong Airport Shanghai Hotel so you can book a room and take rest. Besides this, the Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong, the InterContinental Pudong Shanghai and Purple Mountain Hotel are few of them that are located close to the airport. Once you have rested enough just move ahead to explore some of the magnificent attractions of Shanghai that are located close to the airport. Well, shanghai has uncountable attractions to explore. So just grab few of them.
