An inside view of Beijing Daxing International Airport, scheduled to begin operations in September. Photo: IC

China's burgeoning civil airports are eyeing digital and intelligent technologies to sustain continuous growth, according to China's civil aviation authorities.

Mega airports in China's major cities are generally reaching or approaching their capacity saturation points, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The situation is severe even in airports with annual passenger throughput at the 10-million level, greatly affecting the efficient and comfortable flight experience of passengers.

"Digital and intelligent technologies are of great importance for major airports, bringing greater space for development and sustaining the safe operation of the industry," said Zhang Rui, deputy director of the airport department of the CAAC.

The CAAC is focused on creating safe, green, smart and human-oriented airports, with smart airports in a pivotal position.

A passenger is using the automatic identity verification system at the Dalian International Airport on June 28. Photos: IC

In 2018, the total annual passenger throughput of China's civil airports reached 1.26 billion, and flight movements reached 11.08 million, growing at an annual average of 11 percent and 19 percent over the past 10 years.

By the end of 2018, China had 235 civil airports, including 37 with at least 10 million passengers annually. Among these, 10 were at the 30 million level.

Amid booming growth and market demands, some major airports have sprung into action by injecting new tech into operations such as safety management, passenger service as well as energy saving and emission reduction.

For example, the Beijing Capital International Airport has completed the test for an intelligent navigation system. Based on the intelligent technologies of facial recognition and big data, it will offer individualized services to passengers.

Currently, passengers depend mainly on guide boards or airport staff to locate routes to boarding gates. With the new system, they will receive flight and destination information, intelligent navigation to boarding gates and shop information in the airport.

Beijing Daxing International Airport, scheduled to begin operations in September, will adopt multiple new technologies, such as self-check-in, facial recognition security checks and radio frequency identification devices (RFID) in baggage tracking.

This means that passengers could have a paperless, self-service airport experience during the whole process from check-in and security checks to boarding.

In June, 10 robots and 10 intelligent interactive devices were introduced at Beijing Daxing International Airport to serve as terminals of a passenger service system.

China Eastern Airlines has comprehensively introduced RFID in luggage tracking at two major civil airports in Shanghai, according to the airline on Wednesday.

Starting from July, China Eastern has put the RFID-tech into operation at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the airline said.

The RFID-tech is among the most advanced luggage-management technologies in the global civil aviation industry. Compared with current baggage tag scanning technology, the RFID-tech provides air passengers a faster and more efficient service.

It allows air passengers to follow real-time information of their luggage with an electronic device.

All of these moves are anticipated to power the airports to be smarter and more efficient. Meanwhile, they represent great opportunities in both technology and business fields.

The CAAC has selected 23 airports nationwide as demonstration projects creating safe, green, smart and human-oriented airports. Among these, 16 are smart airports.

China is now the world's second largest civil aviation market. It is forecast to become the largest around 2025, according to the International Air Transport Association.