All entrances to the terminal buildings at Shanghai airports will be subject to security checks from July 20, as ordered by the national civil aviation authority in a move to upgrade air security for the Beijing Olympics. The Shanghai Airport Authority said yesterday it was arranging extra staff and equipment for the new checks.

Exactly how passengers and visitors to the terminal buildings will be checked has not been detailed yet by the national authority.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China announced on its Website on Monday evening that some Chinese airports would carry out the special security measures "to better safeguard the security of civil transport during the Beijing Olympics." The authority also said in the statement that "passengers entering airports with explosives or inflammable articles will be subject to severe punishment in accordance with current laws and regulations."

An official with Shanghai Air Traffic Bureau, the regional civil aviation authority in East China area, said by his understanding, the security checks at the entrances of airport buildings would focus on spotting explosives and inflammable carry-ons and "would be different from the regular flight boarding checks."

Passengers are advised to arrive for flights even earlier as they are now facing two levels of security checks.

China prohibited the carrying of liquid and gel goods on domestic flights in March and in May passengers were further restricted to taking only one piece of carry-on luggage.

Insiders fear the new policy will cause bottlenecks at airports as managements are already struggling to smooth passenger flows after stepping-up security measures.

The airports in 18 Chinese cities and regions- Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Tianjin, Shenyang, Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, Jinan, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Hefei, Changchun, Harbin, Hohhot, Dalian, Xinjiang and Tibet - are required to implement the new rule.

(Shanghai Daily July 9, 2008)