The new terminal at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, a major civil aviation hub in South China, opened on April 26, and will greatly boost domestic and international passenger and cargo capacity in the region.

T2, the largest single airport terminal building on the Chinese mainland — with a total area of 658,700 square meters — includes a wide variety of advanced automatic boarding and security check facilities, and boasts 58 passenger boarding jetways.

A design picture of the new terminal at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

With the opening of T2, the airport — which now includes two terminals and three runways — will have a capacity of 70 million passengers this year, according to the airport authority.

“I am really excited to fly out of T2. There are so many advanced automatic facilities that make the journey so easy and comfortable,” said a passenger surnamed Zhou.

A tourist checks in at the new terminal of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The first flight out of the new terminal was Xiamen Airlines 8306, which departed on the morning of April 26 to Xiamen, Fujian province.

A plane of Xiamen Air is seen at the new terminal of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Construction of T2 broke ground in 2012, and its opening coincided with a comprehensive transport center, a third runway, an information building and a new subway station.

T2 will help Guangzhou’s airport develop into a world-class aviation hub in the years ahead, according to the airport authority.

A foreign tourist checks in at the new terminal of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]