The operator of Macau International Airport, CAM, says design work on the new southern extension of the passenger terminal will begin next year, in preparation for construction of the three-level building.
In a statement released on Monday, CAM said the Passenger Terminal Building South Extension Design and Build Project would allow the airport (pictured) to handle 10 million passenger journeys a year. With the completion of the Passenger Terminal Building North Extension Project this year, the airport’s capacity increased to 7.8 million passenger journeys a year.
The airport handled nearly 7.17 million passenger trips last year – a new record – and in the first nine months of this year has handled nearly 6.16 million, CAM says.
The southern terminal extension will occupy an area of 5,700 square metres (61,354 sq feet) and a total floor area of 17,100 sq metres. The facility will house a supplementary departure hall; offices, shops, and places to eat and drink; a VIP area; and have three loading bridges.
CAM says it will use building information modelling (BIM) in pursuing the project. The company describes BIM as a novel technology meant to speed up projects and solve engineering problems by turning 2D drawings into 3D models. CAM used BIM in building the northern extension of the Macau International Airport passenger terminal, which opened this year.
Most of the gamblers in Macau’s casinos are tourists, and those who arrive by air are said – according to local government data – to have a greater value to the city’s tourism industry than day-trippers or those who arrive by ferry from Hong Kong or mainland China.
