Booming travel is transforming Asian airports into mini-cities

On the southern fringe of Beijing, a giant starfish-shaped building is about to transform the city’s economy.The new Beijing Daxing International Airport, which cost 80b yuan ($11.3b) to build, will be one of the world’s biggest when it opens in September. The Chinese government wants the airport to be a magnet for businesses and an attraction for locals as well as travellers. “The airport paves the way for, and guarantees, Beijing’s long-term economic growth,” says Yu Zhanfu, a partner at consulting firm Roland Berger GmbH. Yu says he expects it to boost the city’s role as a connection point for domestic travellers and those flying abroad. Daxing is one of many airport projects under way in Asia, collectively costing more than $100b, to accommodate a surge in travel fueled by the region’s rising middle class. The IATA forecasts Asia’s travel demand to surpass that of North America and Europe combined by 2037. About two dozen airports are slated to open over the next six years in cities ranging from Beijing to Mumbai, while many existing airports are adding terminals or runways. Daxing will increase Beijing’s capacity for travellers by more than 70% and alleviate congestion at Beijing Capital International Airport, the world’s second-busiest last year with more than 100m passengers. By year’s end, Shanghai will unveil a $3b, 83-gate terminal that will be separate from the airport’s main building. The number of trips per person in China will increase 11% annually for two decades from 2018, reaching 1.6b by 2037, the IATA predicts, with growth in India reaching 10% a year and Indonesia 9%. That compares with 1% to 2% annual growth in the US and the UK. Ng Mee Kam, director of the urban studies program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says governments are coming to view airports as destinations serving local consumers and businesses. “The airport is not just a transportation hub,” Ng says. “It’s becoming a city itself.” Story has more.<br/>