Beijing new airport to complete construction next June

Beijing's new airport and its supporting facilities will complete construction by June 30, 2019 and be put into operation on Sept. 30 the same year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Friday.

At an event held to publicize the one-year countdown to the airport's opening, Zhu Wenxin, vice director of the Department of Airports at CAAC, said 92 percent of the ground works and 42 percent of the pavement on the airfield have already been finished.

The main structure of the overpass linking the airport with surrounding roads finished construction on May 25 and can be put into operation in September, Zhu said.

Beneath the terminal building of the new airport will be a huge rail transit station, where high-speed trains, subways and intercity railways will cross underground by the time the airport comes into service next year.

Supporting facilities for China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines are now under construction and will be put into use before September next year, the official added.

The airport's terminal buildings is consisted of a centerpiece and five arms resembling a phoenix spreading out its wings. The distance from the far-end of each wing to the center building will be less then 600 meters, a design that distinguishes the airport from most large international airports that inevitably require commuters to walk long distances.

By 2025, the new airport is expected to handle up to 72 million passengers and 2 million tons of cargo each year. It will have four runways and accommodate 620,000 flights per year.