Beijing's planned second airport could be built in neighboring Tianjin City or Hebei Province, according to an unspecified official quoted by today's Beijing Evening News.

The proposal has been handed to the National Development and Reform Commission for approval, the official revealed at The 14th World Route Development Forum, which concluded yesterday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The site of the airport is expected to be made public by the year's end, the official said in the report.

The regional economy, air space, geology, climate and distance to Beijing all account for it being chosen as the site for the new airport, the official indicated.

After completion, the new airport may mainly handle domestic flights while Beijing Capital International Airport may focus on international flights, the report said.

The international airport now has an annual capacity of nearly 80 million people after a third terminal opened in February. However, capacity is still not enough to meet expected demand of 100 million in eight years, the report said.

To cope with the situation, the National Development and Reform Commission issued a document suggesting a second airport be built before 2010.

The area south of the capital is considered more suitable for an airport, according to an aviation official quoted by the Beijing Evening News.

The new airport may focus on chartered flights, the report cited aviation experts as saying.

(Shanghai Daily October 15, 2008)