Langfang in north China's Hebei Province, 50 km southwest of Beijing, has been put forward as a possible location for a second Capital International Airport, according to Monday's Beijing News.

The second Capital International Airport should be capable of facilitating the economic development of the surrounding areas, including Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, said sources with the National Development and Reform Commission.

Langfang, located in central Hebei and between Beijing and Tianjin, has been recommended by experts since 2002, said the report. However, Langfang is just one of the candidates as the selection process is still ongoing, said the report.

Construction on the second airport is expected to start in 2010 and the airport is scheduled to go into operation in 2015.

The Capital International Airport, with a designed handling capacity of 35.5 million passengers a year, handled 40 million passengers in 2005. The figure is expected to rise to 45 million in 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2006)