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Together with the existing Beijing airport, this airport is expected to serve 45 million passengers in its first phase with four routes. By 2025, it is projected to serve 75 million passengers annually. Located 50 km south of downtown Beijing, the airport will help alleviate pressure on the existing airport in the northeast of the city, which is currently the world's second-largest airport by passenger traffic. A new $3.6 billion terminal was also opened here in 2008, prior to the Beijing Summer Olympics.
Beijing's new airport project began in 2014 with an infrastructure investment of nearly $12 billion. It is expected to continue operating international flights, although a third, smaller domestic airport located south of the city will close in the coming years. Two of China's three major airlines, including China Eastern Airlines Corp and China Southern Airlines Co, will relocate to the new airport upon completion, accounting for approximately four-fifths of total passenger traffic.
China's new airport is twice the size of Heathrow Terminal 5 in the UK, with a maximum distance of 600 meters between gates. Despite receiving feedback regarding its size and passenger volume, engineers and architects insist they wanted to create an open space for passengers arriving at the terminal. In the center of the airport is a central area with six elevated walkways, which will help passengers navigate to the gates more easily.
