Regulators have decided not to allow China’s domestic airlines and regional/low-cost carriers from Japan and Korea to operate at Beijing Daxing International Airport (BDIA) when it opens in late 2018 or early 2019. Those airlines will continue to operate at Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA), located in the Chaoyang district, some 12 miles outside the city.

According to an official at the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in Beijing, Li Mao, the decision to allow only international flights operated by full-service carriers to and from Daxing stemmed from concerns over airport congestion and expected rapid growth at the new airport. The prospect of more congestion in military-controlled airspace added to the concerns.

“A total of $2.5 billion was invested in expanding BCIA to its existing capacity and the government's plan is to continue operating the facility even after BDIA starts operations,” said Li.

BCIA handled 83.71 million passengers last year, 15 million more than its intended capacity, and officials project further growth of 5- to 6.5 percent annually over the next five years.

Planners expect construction of BDIA to start “any time.” Projected to cost $11.26 billion, the facility will lie some 28 miles outside the capital and will provide an initial passenger handling capacity of 75 million a year.

Under the government’s master plan, BDIA will have seven runways, six for civil use and one for military, allowing it to accommodate 130 million passengers a year by 2035. Traffic projections call for BDIA to replace Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as the world's busiest airport.