Construction completed at Beijing's massive new airport

Construction of the final phase of Beijing Daxing International Airport finished on Sunday, marking the start of the preparatory stage of the airport's operation.

The central area of the terminal at Beijing Daxing International Airport on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. [Photo: China News]

The gigantic airport, nicknamed "the starfish" with its iconic shape, is enormous. There are four runways and a vast terminal building covering 700,000 square meters. Its ground transportation center is 80,000 square meters.

The view inside the terminal of Beijing Daxing International Airport on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. [Photo: China News]

Inside the terminal, six huge columns hold up a cloud-shaped ceiling. A highly reflective coating is used on the terminal's windows and ceilings that reflect back as much as 98 percent of visible light. This makes the hall appear wide and bright. The glass on the roof also has a special kind of glass, which has aluminum mesh inside it. The sunlight shines through it without creating glare.

The view inside the terminal of Beijing Daxing International Airport on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. [Photo: China News]

Underneath the terminal building, more than one thousand rubber isolation bearings provide earthquake resistance, and isolate the building from the vibration caused by the high-speed trains passing underneath.

Despite its size, Beijing Daxing airport will be easy for passengers to get around. It's less than 600 meters from the entry checkpoints to the gates. And getting to the airport will be easy thanks to the availability of high-speed and intercity trains, a metro line, and public buses.

The view inside the terminal of Beijing Daxing International Airport on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. [Photo: China News]

Finnair, China Eastern Airlines, China United Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hebei Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, and Air China will be operating out of the new airport. Skyteam Alliance airlines, which include KLM, Air France, China Airlines, Xiamen Air, and Delta, are also expected to move to the new airport.

The view inside the terminal of Beijing Daxing International Airport on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. [Photo: China News]

The new airport is expected to handle up to 45 million passengers a year by 2021, and will eventually handle up to 100 million trips a year.

Work on the new airport began in 2014. It's due to open for service on September 30.