Oil pipeline to Beijing's new airport starts operation

A 157.5-km-long pipeline transporting aviation oil to Beijing Daxing International Airport was put into operation on Tuesday.

The pipeline starting from Hebei Province is expected to supply 1.7 million tonnes of aviation oil annually, which will reach 2.6 million tonnes in the future, said Zhang Jingtao with a Hebei-based unit of the China National Petroleum Corporation.

The oil provider has stored 36,600 tonnes of aviation oil since last October and sees daily oil output of 1,300 tonnes at present, which will secure the airport's operation in the early stages. The supply can be increased once needed, Zhang said.

The airport, located 46 km south of downtown Beijing, is scheduled to be operational before Sept. 30 and is expected to handle 45 million passengers annually by 2021 and 72 million by 2025.