The construction of the much-anticipated Beijing Daxing International Airport (IATA: PKX) and its supporting projects were completed on Sunday, nearly five years after the construction started in 2014.

As Beijing's second international airport, Daxing airport is expected to work with Beijing Capital International Airport (IATA: PEK) to meet the city's rising demand for air travel and help balance development in Beijing's southern and northern areas.

Terminal and runways

Daxing airport has four runways and a 700,000-square-meter terminal building, with plans to accommodate 72 million passengers, 620,000 departures and arrivals, and 2 million metric tons of cargo annually by 2025.

Shaped like a starfish, the terminal complex has five concourses spiraling from the primary hall. Five traditional Chinese gardens will be built at the end where passengers can wait for their flights.

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Transport hub

Located in the far south of Beijing – 46 kilometers from Tiananmen Square in the city center, Daxing airport was built into an integrated transport hub that would see high-speed rail, inter-city services and downtown-to-airport express trains all stopping right beneath the terminal.

Multi-airport cities

CGTN chose five cities with at least two airports, two Chinese cities – Beijing and Shanghai – and three major international cities – Tokyo, New York City and London, and compared their airport layout, passenger and air traffic, and each city's GDP, city area and population.

When comparing New York City, which has three airports, and London, which has six, CGTN chose the two largest airports in both cities. For example, for New York City, which has JFK, Newark and LaGuardia, LaGuardia was excluded from the list because it is the smallest of the city's three airports and largely handles domestic flights.

Daxing airport is set to go into operation by September 30.