Daily Times

An innovative airport that resembles a giant starfish opened in Beijing Wednesday, as China unveils another gigantic infrastructure project just days before it celebrates 70 years of Communist Party rule.

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

The airport was opened by President Xi Jinping, but had an immediate hitch when its maiden commercial flight, an A380 superjumbo heading to the southern city of Guangzhou was delayed by nearly 30 minutes. Moreover, state broadcaster CCTV, which offered live coverage of the first flight, offered no explanation for the delay.

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At 700,000 square metres, about the size of 100 football pitches, the new arrangement will be one of the world’s largest airport terminals. The building was designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, who died in 2016.

Inside, it stands out for its flowing, curved lines and use of natural light that filters down to the lowest levels of the building through openings on the roof. There is a train station and also a metro line under the terminal that will allow travellers to reach the city centre in 20 minutes.

The project cost 120 billion yuan ($17.5 billion), or 400 billion yuan if rail and road links are included. At full capacity, Daxing would be the world’s largest single terminal in terms of traveller capacity.

Atlanta airport in the United States the world’s busiest airport can receive more than 100 million passengers, but across two terminals. However, the current Beijing Capital International Airport, the world’s second-largest is already overflowing, with just over 100 million passengers annually.

It is expected to surpass the US to become the world’s biggest aviation market by the mid-2020s, according to the International Air Transport Association.