Beijing’s amazing new Daxing international airport has opened to rave reviews and is arguably the world’s most stunning airport.
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.
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It’s 46 kilometres from Tiananmen Square and is connected to downtown Beijing by high-speed rail.
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 the China Daily says the airport has 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.
An individual 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.
