Beijing has unveiled a $12 billion airport that's the biggest in the world — here's the first look

pulse

October 18, 2017 10:21 PM

Beijing Daxing Airport, located 42 miles south of Beijing, will measure 18 square miles.

Beijing is getting ready to unveil a brand new airport that's set to become the world's largest.

The Beijing Daxing Airport is being built 42 miles south of the Chinese capital. It's a looming steel infrastructure meant to relieve pressure on Beijing's existing airport, which opened a new terminal in 2008 ahead of the Olympic games, according to Reuters.

Scroll down for a closer look at the massive project:

Beijing broke ground on the project in 2014 under President Xi Jinping.

The Daxing Airport is 42 miles south of Beijing and will be accessible by expressway and high-speed train. Technically, it's located in the Hebei province, but its proximity to the capital should relieve some stress from Beijing Capital International Airport.

The Beijing Capital International Airport is already bigger than most. It had the second-highest total passenger traffic in 2016, falling just short of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's passenger tally.

Atlanta's International airport is the busiest airport in the world, averaging 275,000 passengers a day. The terminal complex measures 6.8 million square feet.

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Daxing could challenge Atlanta's passenger traffic. It will initially serve 45 million passengers annually, but could eventually support 100 million passengers each year.

The airport will span 18 square-miles, including runways. It required 57,000 tons of steel to construct.

It cost roughly $12 billion to build.

Two of China's three major airports will use the airport, which will account for most of the airport's total traffic. China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines will fly in and out of Daxing once it opens.

The airport is scheduled to open in 2019.

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