Beijing's new airport to begin test operations in 2 years

A new update has been provided on the progress being made on Beijing's newest international airport.

Beijing's new airport opens to the media in Daxing District, Beijing on October 16, 2017. [Photo: VCG]

Crews now estimate the airport in southeast Beijing should be complete by July, 2019. Trial operations are scheduled to start in October of the same year, reports chinanews.com.

Workers are now in the process of installing the terminal roof and the glass facade.

Officials with the airport's construction headquarters say they anticipate being able to start working on the interior of the airport terminals before the end of 2017.

An aerial view of Beijing's new airport [Photo: Chinanews.com]

The terminal of the new airport is a five-finger corridor design. This is expected to make it easier for passengers to reach boarding gates while making flight transfers, with total walking time taking only 8 minutes. The terminal also has a double-storeyed departure design.

An aerial view of Beijing's new airport [Photo: Chinanews.com]

It's also being built with the latest technologies, including access to cloud computing, the internet of things and smart terminals which will be able to interact with passengers.

Beijing's new airport is 46 kilometers from the city-center. It is designed to be an international hub, handling over 100 million passengers annually and 4 million tons of cargo. Initial estimates suggest the airport will handle around 72 million passengers and 2 million tons of cargo by 2025.