China
2021.02.19 22:37 GMT+8

A behind-the-scene look at how Beijing Daxing International Airport was built

Updated 2021.02.19 22:37 GMT+8
By Zhao Chunmei, Martyn Fisher

Asked to name Beijing's most famous landmark, most people would probably identify Tian'anmen Square in the heart of China's capital. But just under 50 kilometers south of that remarkable place lies a landmark that looks set to become just as iconic – Beijing Daxing International Airport (BDIA).

It's easy to see why. Its terminal alone is three times the size of Tian'anmen Square, which covers 440,000 square meters and is the largest public square in the world. Seen from the air, the copper-colored building resembles a golden phoenix in mid-flight.

A screenshot from "Beijing Daxing International Airport: Airport for the Future." /CGTN

But even before actual construction began on the airport, BDIA was already making waves internationally. When plans for this mega-airport were unveiled in 2016, it was hailed by the UK's Guardian newspaper as the first of the "New Seven Wonders of the World."

Actual building work, however, was merely the culmination of a much longer process of planning and design. While hundreds of thousands of workers labored for 54 months to complete the construction work, planners and architects had already been hard at work for almost 20 years selecting the site and drawing up blueprints.

A screenshot from "Beijing Daxing International Airport: Airport for the Future." /CGTN

But it's only now that work is finished and the airport is up and running that the real challenge begins. Expected to handle 620,000 flights and 72 million passengers annually by 2025, many are eager to see how this golden phoenix got off the ground. Now there is a documentary series that can help you understand just how this modern mega project intends to rise to the challenge of its cutting-edge design – "Beijing Daxing International Airport: Airport for the Future."

In 350-minute-long episodes, this series focuses on three critical 100-day-countdowns to the launch of one of the airport's key operations, giving viewers a unique insight into how the airport and its staff were able to turn the visions of planners and designers into reality and transformed the airport into a functioning aviation operation and navigation facility.

It's also a documentary that demonstrates just how innovative and trend-setting BDIA actually is. As well as breaking numerous world-records, the airport represents a unique synthesis of imaginative design, advanced construction technology and innovative management.

A screenshot from "Beijing Daxing International Airport: Airport For the Future." /CGTN

Through the program, you'll get the big picture of how "the Golden Phoenix," or BDIA, is ready to spread its wings and fly.

All three episodes are available now on CGTN App with the following links:

https://s-url.cgtn.com/p/cadcAA for ep. 1

https://s-url.cgtn.com/m/cbaHAA for ep.2

https://s-url.cgtn.com/m/ccCAAA for ep.3

They are available too on the channel's YouTube account CGTN Documentary

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