Beijing's New Airport to Complete First-Stage Project in 2019

Beijing's new airport, also known as Beijing Daxing International airport, will complete its first-stage project in 2019.

The new airport has selected a starfish designing scheme, and will make fine adjustments on this design.

Considering the airport's large capacity in the future, a compact structure and radial layout of starfish-like facility will minimize passengers' walking distance from aircraft cabin to the ground or railways, and decrease distances between different boarding gates when transferring connecting flights.

China Southern Airlines (CZ) has singed a framework agreement with Beijing Capital International Airport Co., Ltd. (BCIA) last Tuesday, to construct its Beijing base at the new airport. Echoing with its Guangzhou base, China Southern has promised to deploy up to 100 aircraft at the new Beijing airport in 2019 and increase its fleet to 150 aircraft by 2025.

Currently it has put 58 aircraft at Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) including A380 and A330 jets, initially building an improved domestic route network and laying a solid foundation for stepping into the international market in the next phase.

Beijing Capital International Airport, which was built in 1958, is already operating beyond its designed capacity of 80 million passengers per year. In 2013, the airport handled 83 million visitors.

The new airport -- which is expected to serve Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei -- will be able to handle an annual passenger volume of 45 million in 2020, 72 million in 2025 and 100 million in the longer term. Its significance lies in easing the capacity congestion of Beijing's airspace, promoting the integrative development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, leading the new normal of China's economy and supporting the upgrading of China's economy.