February: names of torchbearers to be released, airport terminal No. 3 to be operational

The Olympic preparations will not be affected by the traditional Spring Festival celebrations in February 2008.

Three Good Luck Beijing sport events are scheduled for February: the Swimming China Open from January 31 to February 5 at the National Aquatics Center; the 16th FINA Diving World Cup from February 19 to 24 at the National Aquatics Center; and the International Taekwondo Invitational Tournament from February 26 to 29 at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium.

On February 29, the third terminal of Beijing Capital International Airport will be put into service. Located northeast of the city and 25km from downtown Beijing, the terminal has a construction area of one million sq meters, standing as the single largest airport terminal in the world today.

With groundbreaking taking place on March 28, 2004, the first phase of the project will be launched on February 29, 2008, and will be fully operational on March 26. Designed for an annual throughput of 43 million passengers, the facility can harbor all types of aircraft in the world today, including Airbus A380.

The terminal is 2,900m long from south to north, 790m wide and 45m tall, with T3C, T3D and T3E as its components. T3C is located on the southern tip, serving as its backbone, and will handle domestic and international boarding procedures and domestic departures, as well as domestic and international baggage claim. T3D is an international waiting hall, provisionally used for Olympic and Paralympic chartered flights. T3E on the terminal's northern end will cater to international departures and arrivals.

The GTC building is the terminal's transport hub. With a construction area of close to 350,000 square meters, it has a subway station linking the terminal and the city and its underground lot has a parking capacity of 6,700 cars. The terminal serves as a rendezvous for car, subway and bus transportation within the airport and through the city.

The terminal is unique in terms of building dimension, facility availability and landscape layout. It is among The Times newspaper's 10 top buildings under construction in the world today.

In addition, the Qinhuangdao-Beijing expressway is set to be operational for passengers from February 29, 2008.