The T3 terminal and fifth runway of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport were officially put into operation on the 30th, opening the "five runways+three terminals" operation, becoming the first airport in China's civil aviation industry to have five commercial runways. The hub level has further risen, helping accelerate the formation of a world-class airport cluster in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. The total investment of the third phase expansion project of Guangzhou Baiyun Airport is 53.77 billion yuan. After five years of construction, the core contents of the expansion project include the T3 terminal, the fifth runway, and the T3 comprehensive transportation center. With the completion and operation of the expansion project, Baiyun Airport can meet the demand for an annual passenger throughput of 120 million and a cargo and mail throughput of 3.8 million tons in the near future. The terminal capacity can carry 140 million passengers and 6 million tons of cargo and mail, and both passenger and freight scales are among the top in the world. The architectural design of Terminal 3 is themed around "flowers" and incorporates the Guangzhou characteristics of "clouds, mountains, pearls, water" and "flower city". The building is like a blooming flower, forming the architectural image of "sheep city flower crown" and becoming a landmark building of Guangzhou's urban gateway image. A large public art system has been constructed in the terminal building, and a botanical garden has been set up, fully reflecting the "Chinese style, Lingnan flavor, international style, and sense of the times". The T3 Comprehensive Transportation Center is a multimodal transportation complex that integrates aviation, highway, and railway (urban rail). The total scale of the rail system reaches 6 sets and 14 lines, and luggage check-in is set up on the negative second floor. Passengers departing from the rail transit can check-in and transport their luggage on the same floor, achieving efficient air rail intermodal transportation. According to the plan, Baiyun Airport will introduce 6 high-speed railways, 5 intercity railways, 2 subways, and 2 highways. Baiyun Airport can be interconnected with major airports in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area through rail transit, forming a "1-hour living circle" and making the world-class airport cluster in the Greater Bay Area more powerful in "functional synergy". The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area proposes the construction of a world-class airport cluster. At present, there are three hub airports in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong within the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, two mainline airports in Zhuhai and Macau, and two regional airports in Huizhou and Foshan. The airline network covers more than 200 cities worldwide. By 2024, the total passenger throughput of the seven airports in the Greater Bay Area will exceed 200 million. Civil aviation experts say that Baiyun Airport, with the operation of Terminal 3 as the fulcrum, has added a key piece of puzzle to this "world-class airport cluster landscape" and further enhanced the global resource allocation capability of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. (New Society)