Huge new £5.3bn airport to open in one of world’s biggest cities | World | News
Guangzhou is located in the heart of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, the world’s most densely populated urban area. This sprawling metropolitan cluster includes Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, Jiangmen, and parts of Huizhou, as well as neighboring cities such as Zhuhai and Macau, which are home to approximately 70 million residents in total. To meet growing air traffic demands, China’s State Council has approved the construction of a new international airport in Guangdong, the country’s most populous province.
Known as Pearl River Delta International Airport (Guangzhou New) Airport, the facility aims to relieve congestion at existing airports while supporting the region’s goal of becoming an international cargo hub. The airport, planned for Foshan’s Gaoming district, will primarily serve western Guangdong, diverting passenger traffic from Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport, Shenzhen’s Bao’an Airport and other nearby facilities.
The airport is expected to become operational in 2028. By 2035, the new airport is expected to handle 30 million passengers annually, and by 2050 it is expected to double to over 60 million.
It is estimated that cargo volume will be 500,000 tons by 2030 and will increase to 2.2 million tons by 2050.
By comparison, Guangzhou Baiyun processed more than 63 million passengers and over 2 million tonnes of cargo in 2023, while Hong Kong International Airport served 40 million passengers and became the world’s busiest air cargo hub with 4.5 million tonnes processed.
Experts said the new airport is crucial to balancing aviation demand in Guangdong. Plans also include a direct connection to the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang high-speed railway.
Meanwhile, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport recently opened Terminal 3; This represents a significant step in the expansion towards a “five runways, three terminals” operation.
Terminal 3, with its fifth runway, officially became operational on October 30, 2025, with China Eastern Airlines flight MU6308 to Beijing Daxing International Airport.
Designed around the concept of flowers to reflect Guangzhou’s nickname of “Flower City”, T3 incorporates local architectural features inspired by Baiyun Mountain and the Pearl River.
