Beijing Capital International Airport's massive expansion programme went into full swing on Sunday with the signing of nine contracts with construction firms.

The contracts include earthwork and drainage at three key sub-projects -- the T3B terminal building, a communication centre and a runway.

All of the earthwork taking place due to the expansion plans will be completed by the end of next year, according to the project's head office.

Covering an area of 1,480 hectares, the expansion project includes the construction of a new runway, a new terminal building, a cargo zone and some auxiliary projects.

When the project is to be completed at the end of 2007, the enlarged airport will be able to accommodate 60 million passengers and 1.8 million tons a year.

The airport currently has two runways and two terminal buildings with a combined annual handling capacity of 35 million passengers. An official forecast showed the peak monthly passenger arrival at the airport will hit 5.56 million during the 2008 Olympic Games, which is equivalent to the normal transport volume predicted for 2015.