China Eastern, China Southern airlines to move base to new airport in Beijing

A plane of China Eastern lands at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, March 25, 2016. [Photo/IC]

Beijing will determine an airline's use of airports according to its membership in airline alliances, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Members of Star Alliance, including Air China, will continue using the current Beijing Capital International Airport.

Airlines belonging to Sky Team Alliance, such as China Eastern and China Southern, will move to the new Beijing Daxing International Airport set to become the largest airport terminal in the world.

The plan says China Eastern and China Southern would handle 40 percent of passengers at the new airport, which will also serve a number of smaller airlines.

Air China is expected to take advantage of the space for further development when China Eastern and China Southern finish their move in four years.

At a cost of 79.98 billion yuan ($13.11 billion), construction on the new airport started in December 2014 and will take about five years to complete. The new airport is expected to meet Beijing's rising demand for air transport and help balance development between the capital city's north and south.

But with the two airports 67 kilometers apart in straight distance, misunderstood departure information could cause a huge waste of time for travelers if they arrive at the wrong airport, the report said.