Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) has converted Section D of Terminal 3 into a makeshift screening and testing area for passengers arriving from "high-risk" countries in an effort to contain the threat of imported infections of COVID-19. 

The wing was chosen for its relative isolation and began processing inbound passengers on March 10.

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the world, the new measures prioritize preventing new cases from arriving from the outside as the number of infections continues to decrease domestically.

The transformation allows authorities to handle high-risk inbound flights in a separate all-in-one zone, centralizing screening, testing, monitoring, and transfer of passengers and their luggage. The entire area will be sterilized between each flight processed so as to reduce the chance of cross-infection. All luggage will be sterilized before it is transported to baggage reclaim.

PEK remained the top Chinese airport in terms of passenger throughput in 2019, handling more than 1 million passenger trips, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Airports are key public infrastructures that sustain the continuous and fast growth of China's civil aviation industry. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of China's certified civil airports grew from 158 to 238. Eight airports advanced to the world's top 50 airports.