Check out Beijing's spectacular new Daxing airport before it opens

You can check out Beijing’s amazing new Daxing international airport before it opens this month by taking an interactive tour by Chinese media organization CGTN. Chinese media are reporting Daxing will be ready for operation by September 15 ahead of its expected official opening on September 30. The technologically advanced airport will be a key travel hub for Beijing and is expected to handle 45 million passengers by 2021 and 72 million by 2025. READ: British Airways bets on Beijing's new Daxing airport. It's 46 kilomtres from Tiananmen Square and will be connected to downtown Beijing by high-speed rail. Here is CGTN's latest video tour of Daxing: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXUZiUSlPb8[/embed] Designed by an international team of architects that included Dame Zaha Hadid, the facility covers 700,000 square metres and is Beijing’s second major airport. It’s unique “starfish” design and 80,000 square metre ground transportation center have been designed to be “extremely user focussed and adaptable for future growth, ” according to Zaha Hadid Architects. It said the impressive design evolved from traditional Chinese architectural principles that organize and interconnected spaces around a central courtyard. “Its six-pier radial design gives exceptional convenience for passengers and flexibility in operations,’’ the company added.

Daxing has undergone a six-month evaluation and China Daily reported a sixth full-scale test run will be conducted Friday to assess operational readiness and fix possible problems. The news outlet said the airport had undergone 750 tests involving over 500 flights and 50,000 “simulated” passengers since July 19. It quoted terminal development department manager Wang Hui as saying the airport’s 400 self-service check-in kiosks mean that will cater for more than 80 percent of check-ins involving lining up for no more than 10 minutes. A smart security channel would be able to handle 260 passengers an hour, 40 percent more than traditional technology, Wang Said. Passengers would also enjoy a paperless boarding process using facial recognition technology. The date of the first flight has yet to be announced but a WeChat post from China Southern suggested its first flight would be around September 20.