Beijing Adding a Third Airport

When most people think of Beijing and airports, their first thought is Beijing Capital International (PEK). Much less well known is Beijing Nanyuan Airport (NAY), a domestic airport serving only China United Airlines. According to this article, the Chinese capital will be adding a third airport. Set to begin operations in 2018, planners are including a 41-mile high-speed rail to reach the center of the city in about 30 minutes. The article also notes that the intention is to handle 620,000 flights a year. However, there is no mention if any of this will be international.

At a minimum, this promises to be an improvement because there are frequently delays at PEK. Moreover, Beijing air traffic is projected to increase in part because of greater numbers of foreign visitors but mostly because of the rapid growth of Chinese travelers. I would expect the new airport, which does not yet have a name, to share international duties as well as domestic, much like there are two active airports already in Shanghai. If that is the case, I hope their designers remember to include shuttle service between PEK and this new airport.