Preparing for Take-off: Beijing's new international airport takes shape, eyeing 2019 launch

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In 2015, the Guardian newspaper selected seven "soon to be world modern wonders" which are near completion. Beijing's Daxing Airport ranks first. The steel structure of its terminal buildings is now complete.

The construction of Beijing Daxing Airport is a model of Chinese speed.

Just 700 days from its start date in late 2014, what will be the largest international airport in the world, as well as the busiest in terms of passenger traffic at full capacity, has taken shape.

And the design will make it easy for passengers to get around.

ZHU WENXIN, GENERAL MANAGER TERMINAL AREA ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT "It takes passengers only 8 minutes to walk a distance of 600 meters from checking in to heading to the gate."

The innovative design uses Building Information Modeling technology to transform 2D drawings into a 3D model.

WANG YIZHI BEIJING INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN "It's a daring design. In the center of the airport building, there are only 10 pillars supporting the roof, so the structures won't occupy too much space. We need to leave more space for passengers."

China will build a cluster of world-class airports in the northern Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to improve connectivity and push forward coordinated regional development.

The Daxing facility is scheduled to go into use in September 2019.

Its ground transportation center will provide public transportation links to high-speed rail, metro, expressways, Beijing Airport Bus routes, local buses, and an inter-airport transportation system.