China Southern Airlines base at Beijing's new airport to open September

China Southern Airlines said Thursday its base at Beijing's new airport will be put into operation on Sept 20.

The airline aims to operate more than 200 planes, and over 900 flights will be taking off and landing daily at the Beijing Daxing International Airport by 2025.

The airline will carry 40 percent of total air passengers at the airport.

The flight and landing time of flights from southern and central China to Beijing will be 30 to 40 minutes shorter at the airport, the airline said.

Beijing Daxing International Airport completed its first test flight of passenger planes on May 13. China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Air China and Xiamen Airlines sent their flagship models for the test.

Located 46 km south of downtown Beijing, the new airport is aimed at taking pressure off the overcrowded Beijing Capital International Airport in the northeastern suburbs. It sits at the junction of Beijing's Daxing District and Langfang, a city of neighboring Hebei Province. It is expected to handle 45 million passengers annually by 2021 and 72 million by 2025.