One of the world’s largest airport terminals opens Posted on 26 September 2019 Tags:airport, beijing, Beijing Daxing International Airport, Daxing Airport One of the world’s largest airport terminal buildings, the Beijing Daxing International Airport, opened on Wednesday 25 September in the Chinese capital. The starfish-shaped building, designed by the late renowned architect Zaha Hadid, is expected to overtake Hartsfield-Jackson in the US for the title of world’s busiest airport, when it eventually reaches full capacity in the next several years. As flight shaming grows in Europe, where people are opting to catch trains instead of flying to minimise their carbon footprint, China is expanding its capacity to facilitate air traffic. However, Daxing airport building has been designed to be eco-friendly and save energy with the use of natural light ‘to guide passengers in their various journeys’. At 1.4 million square meters, Beijing Daxing International Airport is the world’s largest single building terminal. Follow this thread as @selinawangtv gives us a sneak peek before it officially opens #北京大兴国际机场 pic.twitter.com/oBSq2NnoNb — Bloomberg TicToc (@tictoc) September 25, 2019 The new terminal will be Beijing’s second international airport and is situated 47km from Tiananmen Square. It’s currently able to handle 45 million passengers per year, however, according to CNBC, ‘there are plans to expand the airport’s capacity to 72 million by 2025, and ultimately 100 million, according to the Centre for Aviation.’ Beijing’s first airport, the Capital International Airport which opened in 1958, is already the world’s second-busiest airport, after Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, according to Airports Council International. There are 5 gardens at the Beijing Daxing International Airport – one in each concourse. And each one has a different theme. An attempt to make stressful travel a little more serene. I got a little sneak peek here @tictoc pic.twitter.com/2zcsziS1HW — Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) September 25, 2019 The 1.4 million square metre terminal is the world’s largest single building terminal, but biggest doesn’t necessarily mean best. Although Beijing’s new mega terminal has five gardens for people to relax in, it will need to offer travelers a spectacular overall experience for it to rival the airport voted number one in the world in the annual SkyTrax Awards – Singapore’s Changi, which has held the title for seven consecutive years. Daxing International has four runways, parking for up to 268 aircraft, two departure levels and two arrival levels. The building has high arched ceilings and makes use of natural light and visitors to Daxing airport can expect customer-service robots rolling through the terminals to help passengers with flight updates. Feature image: Photo: Chinatopix/AP Also see: Inside Singapore’s Jewel Changi Airport Related Posts Cape Town’s sustainability: Leading the way in environmental initiatives 1 June 2023 As National Environmental Month commences in South Africa, Cape Town stands proudly at the forefront... read more Kapama to host Safari Guide of the Year Awards 2023 1 June 2023 Kapama Private Game Reserve near Hoedspruit will host this year’s Safari Guide of the Year... read more Blood Lions relaunches for public viewing on YouTube 1 June 2023 Award-winning documentary feature film Blood Lions has been relaunched on YouTube for public viewing, creating... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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