China Southern builds Beijing back-up base

Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines, China's second-largest carrier, will spend about 1.1bn yuan to establish a passenger and cargo base at the Beijing Tianzhu Airport Industrial Zone in prepartation for the 2008 Olympics as a back-up to the airline's base at Beijing Capital Airport opened last September, Reuters reported. China Southern expects the base to contribute US$48.3m in annual turnover.