Pivotal airport opens up Beijing's horizon

BEIJING - From the control tower to the terminal building, all key facilities of the newly-built Daxing International Airport in Beijing are receiving the state appraisal this week.

The airport, scheduled to be operational before Sept 30, will become a pivotal air traffic hub for international travel to and from China, supporting China's growth to become the world's largest civil aviation market, which is forecast to be around the mid-2020s.

The airport is located 46 km to the south of downtown Beijing. It was designed to take the pressure off the overcrowded Beijing Capital International Airport in the northeastern suburb.

On Friday, the airport's terminal, believed to be the world's largest, passed official appraisal.

"The Civil Aviation Administration is giving acceptance inspection to 83 major construction projects at the airport, which will all have been completed by Sunday," said Zhu Wenxin, deputy director of the Airport Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. "June 30 will mark the end of the airport infrastructure construction and the start of the preparatory stage of the airport's operation."

The Daxing Airport Management Center has planned to organize six large-scale simulation exercises for all units stationed at the airport to test the airport facilities and equipment, which will also be examined by the aviation authority.

The airport is connected underground with the Beijing-Xiongan High-Speed Railway and has reserved corridors with three metro lines.

"It is the world's largest integrated transportation hub. The terminal building is also the world's largest built with seamless steel structure, boasting the world's first design of double-deck departure and double-deck arrival platforms," said Bai Henghong, director of the Beijing Daxing International Airport project command of Beijing Construction Group.

The terminal building has 79 plane parking lots. The departure lounge is designed with five outdoor courtyards with themes of "Silk Garden," "Tea Garden," "Porcelain Garden," "Countryside Garden" and "Chinese Garden," to give passengers the ability to enjoy Chinese culture before flight departure, said Guo Shuangchao, the lounge project director.

The airport is forecast to see its passenger throughput reach 72 million in 2025, and further increase to 100 million by 2040, when it is likely to surpass the Atlanta Airport in the United States to become the world's largest airport in passenger throughput.

An economic zone with an area of 150 square km surrounding the airport has been planned to develop industries ranging from international medical care, airport guarantee and support services, to international convention and exhibition, comprehensive-purpose bonded areas, as well as aviation logistics.