Beijing airport plans 'get go-ahead'

Plans for a new international airport in Beijing have been given the go-ahead by authorities in China, according to media reports.

A Beijing aviation spokesman was quoted by the China Daily as saying the eagerly anticipated new facility has been approved by China's State Council.

It is understood the new airport is due to open by the end of 2018 and boast an annual capacity of 70 million passengers by 2025.

The China Daily cited CAAC News - a paper linked to China's civil aviation administration - in saying the vast airport will be located south of the Chinese capital and will have six runways for civilian aircraft and an additional runway for military planes.

If the new airport does go ahead then Beijing will join the likes of London, New York, Paris and Tokyo as a city with more than one major airport.

Beijing Capital has been ranked the second busiest airport in the world for three years, the China Daily reported, processing 81.8 million passenger movements in 2012.