Shanghai Pudong International Airport opens its Terminal 2 on Wednesday, on schedule to build the largest cargo hub in Asia by 2010.

With the opening of the 480,000-square-meter terminal, passenger capacity will double and cargo handling capacity will increase by 1.2 million tons per year to 3.7 million tons per year. Later this year, the Shanghai Airport Authority said, the expansion project of nearby Hongqiao airport just west of the city will create combined capacity for 84 million passengers and 5 million tons of cargo traffic per year.

Most of China, Japan and South Korea are within a two hour flight from Shanghai. The Airport Authority's plan is to optimize domestic and international routes to make Shanghai the air gateway connecting China to the world.

"Under the leadership of Civil Aviation Administration of China and Shanghai government, we are pushing forward the implementation of this national strategy on an overall scale in collaboration with relevant departments and business partners," said SAA.

After expansion through 2015, SAA projects capacity for 110 million passengers and 7 million tons of cargo traffic through the two airports, putting them both among the top airports in the Asia-Pacific region.