China approves 10 new airline routes from Beijing's new airport

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has approved plans by China Eastern Airlines, Xiamen Air and Capital Airlines to fly out of Beijing's new mega-airport from September to cities such as Moscow, Cairo and Busan.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement on its website on Thursday that it had approved 32 new airline routes, 10 of which will be from Beijing Daxing International Airport in September and October.

Of the 10, five were proposed by Hainan Airlines unit Beijing-based Capital Airlines, one by China Southern Airlines subsidiary Xiamen Air and four by China Eastern Airlines.

The airport, due to open in September, can handle 72 million passengers a year by 2025 and is expected to become one of the world's busiest airports upon completion.

This will be the city's second such facility and help relieve pressure on Beijing Capital International Airport, whose annual capacity has reached 100 million passengers.

Airlines including China Southern, China Eastern, Capital Airlines and China United Airlines will be relocated to the new airport, while carriers such as Air China Hainan Airlines and Grand China Air will stay at the old facility.