Chongqing- At 12:18 p.m. on December 26, China Eastern Airlines flight MU5428, operated by a C919 aircraft, took off from Chongqing for Shanghai Hongqiao, marking the official opening of the newly built fourth runway at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport.

"The opening of the fourth runway marks Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport's entry into the four-runway era, making it the first airport in Central and Western China and the third in the country- after Shanghai Pudong and Beijing Daxing- to have four runways in operation simultaneously," said Yin Dejun, executive deputy commander of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport Expansion Headquarters.

The fourth runway, located east of the third runway, measures 3,400 meters in length and 45 meters in width. It runs parallel to the third runway and is designed to accommodate Category 4F aircraft. It can support the operations of all types of large passenger and cargo aircraft.

The fourth runway of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport. (Photo/Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport)

The fourth runway incorporates numerous digital and intelligent technologies to improve operational efficiency and safety management. The Foreign Object Debris (FOD) system on the fourth runway is the first of its kind at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport and the first civil aviation FOD system in China to integrate BeiDou technology. This innovation boosts both operational efficiency and safety control levels at the airport.

The fourth runway's air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure also features domestic equipment, including field monitoring radar, ground and air communication systems, and a wide-area multi-point positioning system. This is the first application of a domestic wide-area multi-point positioning system in China. These advanced surveillance technologies, including radar and multi-point positioning, provide comprehensive coverage of the fourth runway and offer enhanced technical support for ATC operations and security.

Integrating cutting-edge information perception, data communication, real-time processing, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into airport operations and management has enabled automated runway data collection, significantly improving operational efficiency and flight area protection capabilities.

With the new fourth runway, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport will be able to reduce the landing and takeoff intervals for aircraft waiting in line, saving valuable time. The proximity of the two runway groups to the east and west allows for "double up and double down" operations. The new runway increases the hourly flight handling capacity for the two runway groups to 102 flights.

Aerial view of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport. (Photo/Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport)

Furthermore, the new runway is crucial to Chongqing's ambition of becoming a regional transportation hub. It will drive the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and enhance international and regional connectivity. It will also strengthen Chongqing's position in the global aviation network, making it a key hub for the Belt and Road countries.

Yin said that Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is speeding up infrastructure upgrades, including the fast-tracked construction of the T3B terminal, set for completion by the first quarter of 2025. Once operational, the airport will handle 80 million trips, 1.2 million tons of cargo, and 580,000 aircraft movements annually, boosting its operational and security capabilities.

(Huan Ran, as an intern, also contributed to the report)