Beijing’s second international airport has been completed—and it’s expected to become one of the world’s busiest.

Workers walk through the terminal building. Photographer: STR/AFP via Getty Images
Workers walk through the terminal building. Photographer: STR/AFP via Getty Images

Designed to take the pressure off the overcrowded Beijing Capital International Airport, the new site south of the city will be able to handle 72 million passengers a year by 2025, and 100 million by 2040.

Combined, the two airports will handle 170 million fliers annually by 2025, according to official estimates.

“The new airport is a landmark project for China’s 70th anniversary of National Day, built to very high standards,” said Ivan Zhou, an analyst with BOC International Holdings in Hong Kong. “It’ll help optimize flight schedules from Beijing and attract more passengers.”

Operations at the new Beijing Daxing International Airport will start by the end of September, after six major test runs, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Road and rail links and a high-speed subway line are already in place.

The roof of the new Beijing Daxing International Airport. Photographer: STR/AFP via Getty Images
The roof of the new Beijing Daxing International Airport. Photographer: STR/AFP via Getty Images

Carriers such as China Eastern Airlines Corp. and China Southern Airlines Co. will start flying from the new facility later this year. The transition should be completed by the winter of 2021, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.