BEIJING: A futuristic new airport in Beijing, which is expected to become one of the busiest in the world, was opened by President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.

Xi declared the starfish-shaped airport open in brief remarks at a ceremony inside the huge terminal, days before the country holds a grand celebration to mark 70 years of Communist rule.

Located 46 kilometres south of Tiananmen Square, the Beijing Daxing International Airport will operate at full capacity in 2040, with eight runways and the potential to receive 100 million passengers per year.

The airport is seen as a fitting embodiment of the “Chinese dream” Xi has offered his fellow citizens.

Both foreign and domestic carriers have announced plans to move their operations to the new airport.

British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Finnair have already announced their new routes to Daxing to tap the potential of the new aviation hub.

The SkyTeam alliance, which includes Delta, Air France and Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), was expected to move over to the new airport, along with their partners Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines.

But when contacted last week, Delta and Air France said the decision whether to move airports had not yet been made.

The third largest Chinese airline, Air China, is expected to keep flying the bulk of its flights from Beijing Capital International Airport.

“Switching airports can be a complex decision for airlines,” said aviation analyst John Strickland.

“Airlines would prefer to see a new airport open and overcome teething problems before moving services from another well tried and tested airport.” The maiden flight from the airport is scheduled at 3.30pm Beijing time, according to Chinese flight tracking app Umetrip.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2019