China tests new swanky airport in Beijing

China conducted test flights of passenger planes on Monday at its new USD 11.5 billion airport in Beijing that is set to become one of the world's busiest after it opens later this year.

The much-anticipated Daxing International Airport, located 46 kms from the city, is designed to take pressure off the overcrowded Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA), one of the busiest in the world.

The new airport located at the junction of Daxing district and Langfang, a city in North China's Hebei Province, will have seven runways and is expected to handle 45 million passengers annually by 2021 and 72 million by 2025, state-run CGTN reported.

China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Air China and Xiamen Airlines sent their flagship Boeing and Airbus planes for the test.

So far over 50 airlines have expressed their interest in operating from the airport.

The new airport carried out test flights, verified various systems in the airport, including flight procedures, minimum ...