The new terminal at Beijing Capital International Airport will feature two multidenominational prayer rooms, the first of their kind on the mainland, a spokesman said yesterday.

The rooms, each measuring about 30 sq m, will be in Sections B and C of Terminal 3 (T3), which will be used for international departures and arrivals, Wei Huawei, the airport's operations manager, said.

"The two prayer rooms will be open to followers of all religions, including Muslims and Christians, and we will provide blankets, chairs and holy water for their use," he said.

Zhu Jingyuan, the chief designer of the new terminal, said the inclusion of the prayer rooms was indicative of the airport's desire to be people-oriented.

She said more than 7 million yuan ($930,000) will be spent on facilities for disabled passengers, including easy-access toilets and elevators for wheelchair users, and special "tracks" on the floors to help blind people navigate.

A further 3 million yuan in donations from the China Disabled Person's Federation and local companies has already been spent on wheelchairs and golf carts for use by disabled travelers, and 500 staff members have been taught sign language.

"Our goal is to make the new terminal building convenient for all passengers," Zhu said.

As well as 26 smoking rooms, fitted with filtering devices to clean the air up to 15 times per hour, T3 will have baby-changing facilities beside each toilet and a children's playground, she said.

Zhu said the terminal is now 80 percent complete and has entered the final commissioning phase.

The 21-billion-yuan construction will be finished by the year-end and open at the end of February, she said.

(China Daily September 25, 2007)