For airline passengers, the Beijing Capital International iA ir port serves as a gateway that links the city and the out-side world. This is not only because the airport can now accommodate aircraft from 69 cities around the globe, but also because it connects the capital with every major city in the country, too. And in addition to passenger traffic, now at 12 million people annually, the airport is also a major hub for air-freight transport. It handled some 1.02 million tons of freight last year, and expects to increase this tonnage in the coming years.