China Eastern, China Southern to move to Beijing New Airport

China Eastern and China Southern, along with other SkyTeam member carriers, plan to move to Beijing New Airport when it opens in 2019, according to the CAAC. Air China and other Star Alliance carriers are expected to remain at Beijing Capital Airport, which has a slot shortage, making it increasingly difficult for carriers to get approval to boost flight frequencies and open new routes. Beijing New Airport, which is located in Daxing in the southeast part of Beijing, is projected to handle an annual passenger volume of 45m in 2020, 72m in 2025, and 100m in the longer term. The regulator announced Thursday it is allowing China Eastern and China Southern to build their own infrastructures at Beijing New Airport based on their respective passenger boardings that would account for 40% of the airport’s annual passenger volume. <br/>