Beijing's new int'l airport witnesses first full-scale test run

BEIJING -- Beijing Daxing International Airport saw its first full-scale test run on Friday to assess its operational readiness and fix possible problems.

The test run, which lasted nearly 6 hours, involved more than 6,000 participants. It started at 8:30 am, with 1,182 simulated passengers arriving at the departure hall with 1,182 pieces of luggage.

Ten departure gates, 35 check-in counters, 16 carousels, eight security lines as well as northwest and northeast concourses were put into use during the test run.

The airport, scheduled to be operational before Sept 30, will see five other major test runs in the coming weeks. There will be a total of 787 tests involving 500 flights, 51,984 simulated passengers and 35,270 pieces of luggage over the six total test runs.

Located 46 km south of downtown Beijing, the airport was designed to take pressure off the overcrowded Beijing Capital International Airport located in a northeastern suburb of the city.

The airport will become a pivotal air traffic hub for international travel to and from China, supporting China's push to become the world's largest civil aviation market, which is forecast to take place around the mid-2020s.

It is forecast to see its passenger throughput reach 72 million in 2025, and further increase to 100 million by 2040, when it is likely to surpass Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States to become the world's largest airport in passenger throughput.