Inside China s New 18 Billion Dollar Airport

Who would have thought that our next big travel destination could be the airport? But after hearing a bit more about this specific airport, we think you'll agree this one's worth the visit. The terminal in question is none other than the recently opened Daxing International Airport in Beijing. A multi-billion-dollar technological marvel that harbors state-of-the-art planes, trains, smart robotics, and more that truly acts as a peek into what the airports of the future could be. Well, if you can afford to build them, that is. Here's hoping. The Daxing Airport in Beijing is truly a tremendous terminal that towers triumphantly over any other airport out there. Its most distinct feature is its incredible architecture, designed by none other than legendary architect Zaha Hadid, who sadly passed away before she could see her magnum opus completed. Its layout is strikingly similar to a starfish, which is where the airport gets its very fitting name of Starfish. But this ain't no ordinary starfish, and Mrs. Hadid didn't design it in this five-fingered formation just cause she thought it looked cool. If we had to say what the philosophy here was, we'd say it's efficiency for the future while honoring the past. See the shape comes from the five concourses that connect to the main hall. This makes it incredibly easy to guide patrons through the proper terminals and departure zones and to the various shops and restaurants and more, and connects them to a central hub. Where this design gets really impressive is when you realize that this directly reflects ancient Chinese architecture, where the entire layouts of homes would be centered around a central courtyard. Again, it's built for the future while honoring the past. But when we say built for the future, we truly mean the forever-and-ever kind of future. The Chinese government spared no expense in building this marvel, and reports estimate it cost a whopping $17 billion to build. How can an airport cost that much? Well, for starters, at its peak, there were over 40,000 construction workers tirelessly working to get this thing up and running. Add that to the fact that construction officially started in 2014, and on top of just the materials, paying all of those workers their salaries of a reported 50,000 to 60,000 yuan a year all starts to add up. Oh, but let's not forget, on the inside of the terminal, it stretches an astonishing 700 million square miles. To put that in perspective, that's over 15% larger than the terminals at the London Heathrow Airport. This baby can easily handle up to 100 million travelers per year. Think that number is too big to be true? Well, the reason this airport was even constructed was to alleviate pressure from the Beijing Capital International Airport, which was peaking at max capacity of 100 million passengers already. This is also part of China's plan to join the aviation market alongside Giants, Airbus, and Boeing. The International Air Transport Association expects China to overtake the United States as the biggest aviation market in the world, and they expect it to happen by the mid-2020s. By 2037, they expect China will be handling around 1.6 billion travelers per year. Looks like this starfish might need a new brother or sister real soon if China wants to keep up with their extreme demands. But until then, starfish will certainly do that job, and turn some heads while doing so. That huge terminal, the size of 97 soccer pitches, is home to some incredible architecture, newly built customer service robotics, state-of-the-art facial recognition technology, 5G service, and some speedy bullet trains that'll get you in and out of the airport as smoothly as possible, all while being one of the most efficient airports on the planet. It's only 600 meters from the security checkpoint to the furthest point on the furthest gate. Walking, it'll only take you a speedy 8 minutes to walk to the farthest boarding gate. It allows the maximum number of planes to be parked at each terminal while simultaneously providing convenience and flexibility to its operators, while removing any need for trains or shuttles to help passengers get around. Oh, and in this airport, checking in is a breeze due to it being automated. But it's all done with a sense of style and luxury never before crafted in an airport, and it's gotta be seen to be believed. The central atrium has been designed with curves that bring to mind lush rolling fields that stretch out as far as the eye can see. And it's supported by eight C-shaped columns, which have a gorgeous 350-foot-wide skylight at the top. These fill the entire terminal with natural light. Find yourself waiting for your next departure? Well, in this airport, there's plenty to do, which makes it a destination all on its own. It harbors a luxury hotel, a yoga studio on the third floor, free showers in the East to any who need to hose off between long flights, a beauty spa, shopping, and most impressive of all, five traditional Chinese gardens at the end of each corridor on this massive starfish. Bet now you're starting to wonder if you could make like Tom Hanks' character in the terminal and just live at this airport forever. Hey, each garden also has a different theme, and are named the Silk Garden, Tea Garden, Porcelain Garden, Chinese Garden, and Countryside Garden. The plants will be taking full advantage of all the natural light that the skylight allows in. But enough about all that. After all, those amenities may be nice, but the starfish is billed as an airport for the future. That will undoubtedly be instrumental in harboring China's future plans of joining the global aviation industry. We want to know the really impressive stuff, you know, the stuff that makes this an airport for tomorrow. So, what's the scoop on all the technology, robotics, and new software that the Dajing International Airport has to offer? The Dajing Airport is home to some of the most advanced facial recognition software on the planet. This allows patrons to enter the airport and be digitally checked in as they're walking to their security gates. Remember all that facial recognition as people were strolling around in the movie Minority Report? Yeah, it's kind of like that, only it's helping these gates see their reported 260 people per hour. That's speedy. And it doesn't stop there. Speed is the name of the game when it comes to checking people in at Starfish. There will be more than 400 self-service check-in machines, which will make the time you spend getting in and running to that yoga studio or making your way over to those traditional gardens much, much less. The facial scanning systems also get rid of the need for showing IDs or tickets or checking in luggage. You heard that right. Now you simply walk into the airport and the computers know who you are, where you're going, and will help you get there. Dajing also houses some of the most advanced AI robotics available today, and they're capable of learning and becoming even better. In fact, robots will be in charge of picking up and dropping off your car at the terminal's parking garage. This automated approach will reportedly make waiting for your car a breeze. They estimate it'll only take two minutes for your car to go from the garage to right in front of you. Robots are also taking over the vast amount of safety checks that will be required for an airport of this size. Things like fire alarm control panels, circuit breaker and disconnects, electric switchboards, and more will all now be tended to by robots. These robots will also have the new facial recognition software installed, which means if someone is in the airport that shouldn't be, the robots will be on the case and instantly let security know so any chance of an incident occurring is minimal. But the advances don't stop there. Dajing International Airport is also home to a brand new 5G-based smart travel system, which is the brainchild of the combined forces of Huawei Technologies, China Eastern Airlines, and China Unicom. This is the network that will support all that facial recognition technology, but it will also issue in unparalleled convenience with regards to quickly finding your luggage in real time and getting you to your next flight. China sees the airport's seamless integration with 5G technology as a chance to show the world just what is possible with this new network's higher speeds. After all, 5G has faster data rates, energy savings, it reduces costs, has a higher system capacity, and all with reduced latency to its users. It's the network of the future, and Dajing International Airport is making sure they take advantage of it when you want to fly. Starfish won't just be all about the air, though. It is directly connected to two hyper-fast bullet trains. These babies run at top speeds of 250 kilometers per hour, which gives passengers a travel time of just 20 minutes, and will connect travelers to Beijing West Station with Xiong'an New Area. These speedsters come with first class, business class, and second class, and are formatted to have 1.01 meters more of space in the aisles to have more room for luggage. The addition of these new trains wasn't cheap, either. Estimates say this was a 33.5 billion yuan undertaking when it started in 2016. That's the equivalent of a massive 4.8 billion US dollars. Hey, as multi-billionaire Mr. John Hammond said in Jurassic Park, we spared no expense. Finally, we want to talk about one of our favorite aspects of Starfish, and we believe it's what pushes it over the top from an impressive facility to an airport of the future. And one that all other airports will strive to emulate. Dajing International Airport was designed to leave a low environmental footprint. It has a rainwater collection and water management system that will not only store and permeate water but will purify it as well. That's right, this five-fingered colossus also acts as an environmentally friendly way to purify water from local streams, rivers, wetlands, lakes, and waterfalls. This system will also lower chances of flooding as well as the summer heat island effect, which refers to when there are more greenhouse gases released into our atmosphere. Basically, it not only won't hurt the local microclimate, but it will help it. Oh, and did we mention it has an environmentally conscious heating system that recovers and retains excess heat from the day-to-day workings of the airport, all with the goal of reducing its carbon emissions? Yeah, Starfish has that too. If you ask us, this airport is truly a luxury terminal that has to be seen to be believed. It harbors futuristic design that acknowledges the past, state-of-the-art robotics and technology, and of course, an ease of access unheard of in other airports around the world. With regards to parking and public transportation, this place is truly unparalleled. No judgment here if you decided to book your next trip to Beijing solely to visit this colossus. Honestly, we'd be pretty jealous. After all, if you wanted to build your own Beijing-Daxing airport, you'd certainly have to be one of the richest. If you're a frequent flyer of this channel, maybe it's time you docked with us for the long term by subscribing below. 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