Construction of a major new airport in Guangdong Province began on 25 March 2026, adding a planned aviation hub to the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). The Pearl River Delta Hub (Guangzhou New) Airport will be located in Foshan’s Gaoming District and is expected to serve more than 20 million people across nearby cities. According to an official report, the project aims to strengthen air transport capacity in the western part of the rapidly developing regional economy.
The airport will be built at the geographical centre of Foshan, Zhaoqing, Jiangmen and Yunfu. Officials say the location is intended to improve connectivity for cities on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, complementing existing airports that are primarily located in the eastern part of the region.
Large-scale infrastructure investment
The project has a planned investment of 41.81 billion yuan (approximately US$6.07 billion). Once completed, the airport will include two widely spaced parallel runways, a terminal building covering around 260,000 square metres, and 94 aircraft stands.
Design plans indicate the facility will support an annual passenger throughput of 30 million travellers. It is also expected to handle 500,000 tonnes of cargo and mail each year, alongside approximately 260,000 aircraft take-offs and landings.
Strengthening aviation capacity in the Greater Bay Area
The new airport is intended to serve as a transportation hub for the western part of the GBA. Regional aviation infrastructure has historically been concentrated in the eastern Pearl River Delta, according to an official from the Guangdong Airport Authority.
The Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area is one of China’s most significant economic regions. In 2024, its gross domestic product exceeded that of both the New York Bay Area and the San Francisco Bay Area. The region’s economic output is projected to surpass 15 trillion yuan in 2025.
Rising passenger and cargo demand
Airports across the Greater Bay Area handled more than 230 million passenger trips in 2025, alongside about 9.72 million tonnes of cargo and mail. Operational data released by seven major regional airports indicate that the area has developed into one of the world’s most active aviation hub clusters.
Demand is expected to continue growing. Forecasts from Airports Council International suggest that air passenger demand in the Greater Bay Area could reach 420 million passengers by 2035, highlighting the need for additional airport capacity and supporting infrastructure.
