In 2013,
Foshan, together with other cities on the west bank of the Pearl River Delta like
Zhaoqing,
Yunfu and
Jiangmen proposed building a new airport on the west bank of the Pearl River, since
Foshan Shadi Airport was a joint civil and military airport and had limited space to expand. In 2016, the Pearl River Delta New Airport project was officially approved and included as a key construction project of
Guangdong province's
13th 5-year plan, positioned as "forming an international aviation hub together with
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport", mainly serving the central and western Pearl River Delta and surrounding areas, and the location was chosed in
Gaoming destrict, near the border between
Foshan and
Zhaoqing. In March 2024, Foshan issued the a plan that "focuses on the airport economy, regional coordination, and high-quality development." The completion of the Pearl River Delta International Airport will undoubtedly bring historic development opportunities to Gaoming, helping it to become a modern industrial hub in western Foshan and a new and important engine for Foshan's economic development. On December 19th, 2024, a conference for the airport investment was held in Gaoming. The conference promoted Gaoming District's investment environment and held a signing ceremony for key industrial projects, with a total investment of approximately 50 billion
RMB. Among them,
China Southern Airlines will construct projects covering plane manufacturing, airport logistics, and aviation catering at the new Foshan airport, with a total investment exceeding 2 billion
RMB, fully ushering in a new era of airport-based economy for
Gaoming District. Gaoming Airport aims to serve as a domestic and regional international airport hub, relieving Baiyun Airport's pressure and will be one of the world-class aviation hubs in the
Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It directly serves the population of more than 20 million people in
Guangzhou,
Foshan,
Zhaoqing and surrounding cities, reducing the need for residents in nearby cities like
Yunfu,
Zhaoqing and
Yangjiang travel all the way to Guangzhou for air travel and improving the comprehensive transportation system in the western part of the Greater Bay Area. While
Baiyun Airport will continue to focus on global routes and strengthen its position as an international gateway hub to
Mainland China and Gaoming Airport will accept more domestic flights from Baiyun Airport. The airline bases of the airport in first phase include
China Southern Airlines and
China United Airlines. China Southern Airlines base to undertake 50% of the business volume of the new airport as the stationing positioning, overall planning of maintenance, cargo logistics, aviation catering, production auxiliary four functional areas, it is expected that by the target year of this period, China Southern Airlines will achieve 15 million passenger throughput and 250,000 tons of cargo and mail throughput. China United Airlines base is positioned to undertake 30% of the new airport's business volume, and plans business support capabilities such as cargo logistics, maintenance, ground services, and production auxiliary facilities. It is expected that by the current target year, China United Airlines will achieve a passenger throughput of 9 million passengers and a cargo and mail throughput of 100,000 tons. Here are some key points announced from construction event on 25 March 2026: • 26 December 2025: Feasibility study report approved; • 25 March 2026: Construction of new Gaoming Airport is officially begins (total construction period approximately 60 months); • 30 September 2026: Commencement of all earthwork projects; • 31 January 2027: The main structure of the terminal begins construction; • 30 June 2029: The main structure of new terminal is completed; • 30 June 2030: The flight area project is fully completed, and the terminal building project is fully completed. ==Construction==