China Southern moves to new airport terminal in Guangzhou

China Southern Airlines, together with 11 other domestic and foreign carriers, moved Saturday to the newly opened Terminal 2 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

The newcomers, joining four airlines that previously moved to Terminal 2 on April 26, include Chongqing Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Korean Air, Air France and Aeroflot.

With the airport serving as its main hub, China Southern Airlines is expected to take up more than 90 percent of the passenger throughput at Terminal 2, serving 85,000 passengers with 600 flights on its first day at the terminal.

The airline moved 31.76 million passengers at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport last year, or 55 percent of the airport's total throughput, said Wang Changshun, president of the airline.

In the near future, China Southern plans to open flights between Guangzhou and the Italian city of Rome as well as the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Islamabad.

With Terminal 2 coming online, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is expected to welcome 70 million passengers this year, placing it just behind Shanghai Pudong International Airport, which crossed the 70 million line last year and still trails Beijing Capital International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport in terms of passengers.

Meanwhile, China Southern will build its hub at the new Beijing airport, aiming for 40 percent of the passenger throughput at the airport being constructed in Daxing district.

The airline plans in 2019 to move to the new Beijing airport, where it is expected to deploy 250 planes and 900 flights by 2025.