Passengers walk past the Lotus Valley at Terminal 4 of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, an area where the roof is supported by 32 white columns each standing at over 50 meters tall, resembling the stem of a lotus leaf. Photo: VCG

A flight is welcomed at the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport on Thursday, the first inbound flight to use the Phase 3 extension. The airport’s Phase 3 development project was officially opened on Thursday, a year ahead of the Asian Games, which will be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Photo: VCG

Passengers line up to check in on Thursday at Terminal 4. Photo: VCG

The transportation center is a major part of the expansion project and covers a floor area of 480,000 square meters, including two floors above the ground and four underground. Photo: VCG

The 425-meter-long passageway at the transportation center, the east and west ends of which are respectively connected to T3 and T4. Natural light shines into the traffic center through the roof. Photo: VCG

A signpost is erected at Terminal 4. The building comprises 720,000 sq. m. of floor area, double the size of T1, T2 and T3 combined. Photo: VCG

With the extension, the number of passengers the airport can handle has increased from 30 million to up to 90 million per year. Photo: VCG

The construction of Phase 3 began in October 2018 and ended in March this year. Photo: VCG

An intelligent navigation robot guides passengers in Terminal 4. Photo: VCG

With an investment of over 27 billion yuan ($3.9 billion), the extension has a floor space of over 1.5 million square meters, making Xiaoshan International Airport the second largest aviation hub in East China. Photo: China State Construction Engineering Corporation