World’s Largest Airport Under Construction in China

China has started to piece together what is set to become the largest airport on earth. Once finished, the world's largest airport will be approximately equivalent to the island of Bermuda in size and boast no less than NINE RUNWAYS, allowing it to serve 370,000 passengers every single day.

To be constructed on a 21 square mile plot, Beijing Daxing International Airport is scheduled to become operational in 2015 and its development is taking place out of necessity, more than anything else. 

Beijing Capital International Airport's Terminal 3 - which is larger than all five Heathrow terminals - was only opened three years ago but neither it nor the city's other hub, Beijing Nanyuan, has the capacity to handle the sheer volumes of traffic expected to enter and leave China in coming years.

"The existing airport in Beijing has an annual capacity of 75million passengers", China Civil Aviation University Professor Cao Unchun stated in comments quoted by The Telegraph. "Last year, it handled 73 million. In two years, it will be totally packed and it cannot be expanded infinitely."

World's Largest Airport

The prospect of the world's largest airport brings with that of new rail services, too, since it will be sited some 60 minutes away from the centre of Beijing.

Beijing Capital Airport's Terminal 3 was opened in connection with the 2008 Olympic Games. Flight-wise, the airport's now at the point where no more can be added, according to Civil Aviation Administration head Li Jiaxing.

Beijing Daxing International Airport's development programme reportedly got underway last month, with workers having erected signs at the site stating ‘Construction of a New Airport City for the Capital'.

Chinese Airport Construction

Last year, no less than 268 million people got on an airliner operating from one of China's 175 airports - that's over 16 per cent more than in the previous year.

Over 50 new airports are expected to be added between now and 2016 through a massive, ongoing Chinese airport construction programme while, over the coming 20 years, it's thought that China will need to purchase over 4,000 new commercial aircraft, again to meet travel demand.

Fonte: Airport International's