Quick Summary: Beijing Capital Falls to Fifth as Guangzhou Reclaims Top Airport Spot
- Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is set to reclaim the top spot in passenger throughput, surpassing Beijing Capital.
- Beijing Capital’s dominance ended after Beijing Daxing opened, pushing it to fifth nationally in 2020.
- A new Guangzhou airport, approved in 2025, will open by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan, making Guangzhou the fourth city with two airports.
- Guangdong Airport Management Group holds 64% equity, giving Guangzhou operational primacy over the Foshan-located second airport.
- Shanghai’s third airport in Nantong is tied to Shanghai’s aviation system despite being outside its borders.
Source: Open external resource
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In a dramatic reshuffling of China’s airport hierarchy, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is poised to reclaim its crown as the nation’s busiest hub. This shift signifies more than just a change in rankings; it’s a testament to the evolving dynamics of China’s aviation landscape.
Beijing Capital, once the unrivaled leader, has seen its dominance wane since the opening of Beijing Daxing in 2019. This new player diverted significant traffic, relegating Capital to fifth place nationally by 2020. Meanwhile, Guangzhou Baiyun has surged ahead, driven by strategic expansions and a keen focus on operational control.
The new Guangzhou airport, slated to open by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan, underscores this ambition. Approved in late 2025 and breaking ground in March 2026, it will position Guangzhou alongside Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu as cities with dual airports. This development is not just about infrastructure but also about strategic equity control, with Guangdong Airport Management Group holding a decisive 64% stake.
Shanghai’s aviation ambitions are similarly bold, with its third airport in Nantong aligning with its broader aviation hub strategy, despite geographical boundaries. The battle for supremacy is no longer confined to physical runways but extends to strategic ownership and integrated operations.
As the dust settles, the implications of these shifts will ripple across China’s urban development landscape, influencing everything from economic growth to regional connectivity. The race is on, and the stakes have never been higher.
01 million passengers in 2019, making it the only Chinese airport to surpass 100 million annual passengers, according to 36Kr. The new Guangzhou airport, approved by China’s National Development and Reform Commission at the end of 2025 and started in March 2026, is expected to open by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
36Kr says Nanjing announced in February 2025 that it would open the civil aviation function of Nanjing Ma’an International Airport “at an appropriate time,” but that no further news has been released. The immediate timeline in the reporting is compressed and consequential: the Guangzhou project was approved at the end of 2025, broke ground in March 2026, and is now being discussed alongside fresh Nantong updates released in June 2026 and a 36Kr article published on October 10, 2026.
1 after Capital’s passenger throughput fell to fifth nationally in 2020. holding 36%, a split that gives Guangzhou’s side operational primacy even though the second airport is located in Foshan.
The article says the facility is designed for 40 million annual passengers and will operate in coordination with Pudong and Hongqiao as part of the Shanghai International Aviation Hub. The sharpest new development in the piece is not a legal sale of a single airport but a shift in control over China’s airport hierarchy: 36Kr reports that Beijing Capital’s long-held dominance was broken after Beijing Daxing opened in September 2019 and diverted traffic, while Guangzhou Baiyun rose to No.
In that joint venture, Shanghai Airport Group reportedly owns 51% and Nantong Urban Construction Group 49%, which 36Kr presents as proof that the airport’s future identity will be tied to Shanghai’s aviation system even though the site is outside Shanghai’s municipal borders. It also says an official statement on Chongqing’s new airport softened from “starting construction during the 14th Five-Year Plan period” to merely “promoting the preliminary work …
A new Guangzhou airport, approved in 2025, will open by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan, making Guangzhou the fourth city with two airports. 01 million passengers in 2019, making it the only Chinese airport to surpass 100 million annual passengers, according to 36Kr.
The new Guangzhou airport, approved by China’s National Development and Reform Commission at the end of 2025 and started in March 2026, is expected to open by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Quick Summary: The First Airport Has Officially Changed Ownership: Key Details & Impact – 36Kr Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is set to reclaim the top spot in passenger throughput, surpassing Beijing Capital.
Beijing Capital’s dominance ended after Beijing Daxing opened, pushing it to fifth nationally in 2020. Guangdong Airport Management Group holds 64% equity, giving Guangzhou operational primacy over the Foshan-located second airport.
The scale and speed of this development has caught many observers off guard. Each new update adds another dimension to a story that is still unfolding, and the full picture will only become clear as more verified details emerge from the people and institutions directly involved.
Analysts who have tracked this issue closely say the current moment represents a genuine turning point. The decisions made in the coming weeks are expected to set the direction for months ahead, with ripple effects likely to extend well beyond the immediate actors in the story.
For those directly affected, the practical impact is already visible. People navigating this fast-changing situation are dealing with real consequences while new information continues to reshape what is known and what remains open to interpretation.
Historical parallels offer some context, though experts caution against drawing too close a comparison. Similar situations have played out before, but the specific combination of pressures, personalities, and timing here makes this moment distinct in ways that matter for how it ultimately resolves.
The political and economic dimensions of this story are deeply intertwined. What appears as a single event on the surface is in practice the convergence of multiple pressures that have been building quietly over a longer period than most public reporting has captured.