Beijing to get US$ 11 billon second airport

China’s State Council has approved plans for a second international airport in the capital, Beijing – the budget for which is reported by state media to be CNY 70 billion (US$ 11.2 billion).

The new airport will be located in Daxing district in southern Beijing and feature six commercial runways and one military runway, as well as a 37 km rail line connecting it to the city centre.

The capital’s current airport, Beijing’s Captial International, is located in the northeastern part of the city. Despite the addition of third new terminal in 2008, Capital Airport is feeling the strain of China’s rapid growth in demand – it handled 82 million passengers in 2012. It is hoped that the new Daxing airport will ease congestion.

Construction of the Daxing airport is scheduled to start in 2014, with opening planned for 2018. It will handle 45 million passengers a year in the beginning and up to 70 million passengers by 2025.