Xi'an airport's new terminal highlights operational efficiency, environmental sustainability

The Terminal 5 at Xi'an Xianyang International Airport in northwest China's Xi'an City, which officially began operation on Thursday, features an advanced design that emphasizes both operational efficiency and environmental sustainability.

The newly opened terminal, covering an area of 700,000 square meters, enables both domestic and international passengers to depart from the same floor, eliminating the need to change levels.

The terminal is equipped with eight check-in counter areas, 60 self-service check-in kiosks, and a new smart luggage handling system that can deliver luggage to its designated location in just 5 minutes and 18 seconds at the fastest speed.

Additionally, in the border inspection area, the waiting area for passengers has expanded from 1,200 square meters to 6,500 square meters, along with notable improvements in enforcement facilities and customs clearance.

"Our airport has greatly expanded the number of passenger inspection channels from 42 in Terminal 3 to 72 in Terminal 5. Our fast-track channels use advanced technology to quickly read documents, allowing passengers to go through them in about 10 seconds, which is about one-third faster than before. This ensures maximum efficiency in passenger clearance," said Chen Kaihao, a police officer working at the airport's border inspection station.

The eco-friendly design is another highlight of the new terminal. By utilizing solar power, natural lighting, intelligent temperature control, and energy recovery systems, the terminal has effectively reduced carbon emissions and realized sustainability.

Notably, during its construction, the original runway concrete was recycled and repurposed, turning into the flooring inside the terminal.

"Through further polishing, processing, and cutting, the runway stone beneath my feet was transformed into a decorative tile, which was then used for the flooring in the terminal. The small offcuts and fragments from this process were repurposed for the drainage channels in the flight area, helping to reduce construction waste and environmental pollution," said Yang Shuai, a senior executive at China West Airport Group.

Xi'an airport's new terminal highlights operational efficiency, environmental sustainability

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Tuesday that the United States has no other alternative but to accept the Iranian people's rights.

He made the remarks in a post on social media X, after U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Iran's response to a U.S. peace proposal and warned that the ceasefire between the two countries is "on massive life support."

Qalibaf said in the post that there is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the (Iran-proposed) 14-point proposal and warned that "any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another."

"The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it," he added.

Trump on Monday slammed Iran's latest response to the White House peace plan, which he rejected one day earlier, calling it "totally unacceptable," stressing that any peace deal between Washington and Tehran would require Iran to pledge to stop pursuing a nuclear program.

Iran has not publicly agreed to give up its enriched uranium, insisting that its nuclear program is peaceful.

On the same day, several U.S. media outlets, citing internal government sources, reported that due to the lack of progress in negotiations, the U.S. is now "more seriously considering" resuming military action against Iran compared to previous weeks.

Iran, the United States and Israel reached a ceasefire on April 8 after 40 days of fighting that began after U.S.-Israeli joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities on Feb 28.

Following the truce, Iranian and U.S. delegations held one round of peace talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which failed to yield an agreement.

Over the past weeks, the two sides have reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for ending the conflict through the mediation of Pakistan.

Iranian parliament speaker says US must accept its people's rights