The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasted that China is set to overtake the U.S. as the world's largest aviation market sometime within the next decade. The news comes after the country opened a starfish-shaped airport in Beijing on Wednesday.
According to CNBC, travel to China continues to grow, which is also why the starfish-shaped Daxing International Airport was created. The airport is expected to help ease the burdens on Beijing Capital International Airport.
Last year, the BCIA managed over 100 million passengers. The numbers put the airport just behind the world's busiest airport, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. With the DIA in full operations, the older Beijing airports will no longer be pressured to accomplish millions of flights.
Chinese President Xi Jinping himself inaugurated the opening of the new artistic airport in southern Beijing. Industry experts said China is expected to handle around 1.6 billion air traveling customers per year in the year 2037 - a number that could only be achieved through the development of new, tech-powered airports.
Daxing airport's terminal building spans over 700 million square meters and boasts of four runways and five concourses. The late, world renowned architect Zaha Hadid developed the design that is expected to handle around 620,000 flights annually.
The airport, constructed with a 120 billion yuan budget, is 15 percent larger than the terminal spaces in Heathrow and London. Some of the airlines mulling to fly out of Daxing are China Eastern, China Southern, and internationally, Finnair and British Airways (BA).
On opening day, the first flight that took off in the new airport is a Beijing-Guangdong flight, followed later by six more flights to other destinations, ABC News reported. The outlet noted that Daxing airport that while some believe the shape is a starfish, others said it has a phoenix-shaped infrastructure.
Associate Director of Zaha Hadid Architects London, Cristiano Ceccato, pointed out that the project design is a highlight of China's culture and specific technologies born in the world's second largest economy.
During the inauguration, Xi inspected the self-service check-in process that also did not require any paper or document to be completed, Xinhua reported. The Chinese leader encouraged airport staff to ensure that the advanced technologies within the facility are managed well to provide the best service for air travelers.
Xi also called for increased cooperation in China's target of transforming the Daxing airport into a world-class aviation hub that will attract more tourists and travelers around the world.
Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, echoed Xi's sentiments. He said the Daxing airport is just one of the first steps toward achieving international competitiveness in aviation.
