The long-awaited Chengdu Tianfu International Airport has finally opened, offering tourists a new method to visit the world’s largest panda sanctuary. Sichuan Airlines’ debut flight designated to Beijing took off on June 27, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. After Shanghai and Beijing, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, has become the country’s third city with two international airports. The new Chengdu Tianfu International Airport was designed by the China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute, China Airport Construction Group Corporation, and ADP Ingenierie, a French architectural firm.

Phase one of the massive aviation hub, which is expected to cost roughly 70 billion Chinese yuan ($10.8 billion), will be able to accommodate up to 60 million people per year, significantly expanding access to the country’s southwest region. Face recognition software, self-check-in kiosks, smart security systems, self-boarding gates, and artificial intelligence robot concierges are among the cutting-edge technology included in phase one, which took five years to develop. There are three runways and two terminals in operation, covering a total area of 710,000 square meters. According to Xinhua, the airport will eventually have terminals measuring 1.4 million square meters, with a capacity of 120 million passengers per year. Three runways and two terminals, with a total area of 710,000 square meters, are in use. The airport would eventually have terminals measuring 1.4 million square meters with a capacity of 120 million passengers per year, according to Xinhua.