Beijing set to spend $13 million on a new airport

Beijing International Airport is the busiest airport in Asia. Considering the rush, the National Development and Reform Commission of China announced the construction of another airport in the suburbs of southern Beijing. The new airport, which will be designed by Netherlands Airport Consultants, is expected to take five years to build at a total cost of 80 billion yuan ($13.1 billion).
Six years ago Beijing spent $3.5 billion to build what was the world’s largest airport passenger terminal. However, China’s national planning agency has green-lit a new airport that will cost nearly four times as much.

Beijing International Airport’s Terminal 3 was built just in time for the Beijing Olympics in March 2008. It is a sprawling 10.6 million square foot complex designed by a team of architects including the Netherlands Airport Consultants.

Despite the major expansion, Beijing International Airport, Asia’s busiest, has struggled to handle passengers, leading to delays that have become legendary among frequent travelers. Last year, 83.7 million passengers traveled through the national airport, which is designed to handle 76 million passengers.