The construction of Beijing's new airport will wrap up by the end of June 2019, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-rural Development. After a three-month period of equipment testing, the new airport will open on Oct. 1, 2019.

Designed as a large-scale international transportation hub, the new airport will play a key role in substantializing the strategic positioning and functional planning of Beijing. It is an important part of the integrated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region as well as the Belt and Road Initiative. 

The construction work has stayed on schedule, with the terminal buildings roofed and undergoing interior decoration and equipment installation. About 90 percent of the supplementary municipal projects are finished, and the overpasses leading away from the airport are complete. The progresses made on the port of entry, the western air traffic control tower, and the airfield are at roughly 18 percent, 35 percent, and 92 percent, respectively. Nearly one-third of the work is done for the fuel supply system, the eastern base, and the southern base. Meanwhile, the communication center of the airport and its accompanying communication systems are under construction as planned.

Once the airport is complete, Beijing will have another 700,000 square meters of airport terminal area, four new runways, and 268 new airport terminal gates. The city will be able to accommodate many more international flights. The new airport will link up with various transportation methods such as high-speed railways, subways, and trains, optimizing transfer services for both domestic and international airline networks. The distinctively designed piers and zoning operation in the new terminals will greatly cut foot travel distances for the passengers—the longest walk between destinations will only be 600 meters.

In addition, innovative designs for the baggage system of the new airport will shorten the required check-in time spans. Incoming baggage could arrive within 13 minutes, which will help to cut down on long layovers.

The opening of the new airport is expected to significantly improve the current shortage of international airline slots in Beijing. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said that airline companies are encouraged to operate in the new airport and open up more international routes. The CAAC will endorse new airline routes originating from Beijing's new airport to help develop its international airline network.

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