China President Xi Jinping formally opened the Beijing
Daxing Airport Wednesday, China’s state news agency CCTV reported.
The airport is in addition to the longstanding Beijing Capital Airport
and will increase flight capacity in the Chinese capital. Daxing, which has four
runways, will have capacity to handle 45 million passengers annually by 2021
and 72 million by 2025.
In addition to international flights, it is expected to
focus on domestic service to northern China, according to CCTV.
Among other carriers, Daxing will serve as a base for China
Eastern Airlines, which partners with Delta in the SkyTeam Alliance.
Operations at the airport will ramp up gradually in the
coming months.