South of China’s capital, Beijing, construction has officially been completed on the world’s largest airport. Estimated to open on Sept. 30, the Beijing Daxing International Airport (Daxing) will act as a second international airport for Beijing, the world’s second-busiest aviation hub. 

The existing Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) has reached its full capacity, having accommodated 100 million travelers in the past year alone. PEK is the second airport in the world to reach that capacity, right after the Atlanta International Airport in the U.S. China’s new global aviation hub, however, is predicted to overtake the U.S. as the world’s biggest air travel market. 

“The ‘modest’ initial operational target is to accommodate 72 million passengers and 2 million tons of cargo annually by 2025,” according to CNN.

Construction began under President Xi Jinping in 2014 and within 5 years, the $11.5 billion project is about to be open to the public. The late architect, Zaha Hadid, designed Daxing for the future, implementing her signature contour lines, utilizing 57,000 tons of steel, and allowing for plenty of natural light from over 8,000 rooftop windows. 

Boasting a total of seven runways, Daxing has the capacity to move at least 100 million passengers and 4 million tons of cargo annually. Customer-service robots will also be available to inform travelers on flight updates and airport information. 

Daxing’s structure of five concourses connected to a main hall resembles a “starfish”, as nicknamed by the Chinese media. The floorplan’s purpose is to reduce walking for passengers, ensuring a distance no more than 650 yards between security and the gates. 

However, the airport itself is thirty miles from the city center and even father from main business districts. Some believe the new airport will only worsen flight delays in Beijing, already known for having one of the worst on-time performances among airports worldwide. 

Nonetheless, officials claim they “have built more than just an airport–but rather a truly integrated transportation hub that will eventually see high-speed rail, inter-city services and downtown-to-airport express trains all stopping right beneath the terminal,” as stated on CNN.  

Eager to showcase the country’s newest aviation hub upon its grand opening, China has already announced that by next spring, flights from Daxing will cover 112 destinations around the globe.

Photo courtesy of XINHUANET.COM