Beijing Daxing International Airport

Beijing Daxing International Airport is the biggest airport in the world. After 45 months of construction, it has been officially open for business since September 25, 2019, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1. It covers an area of 700,000 ㎡ and has a terminal building with high-speed train and subway stations underground. This is a guide to Beijing’s new airport with facts, airlines, and transportation that we bet you don’t know but should.

Quick Facts About Daxing Airport

• Airport Name: Beijing Daxing International Airport
• Name in Chinese: 北京大兴国际机场
• Code: IATA: PKX; ICAO: ZBAD
• Location: Daxing District, Beijing & Guangyang District, Hebei
• Time Zone: China Standard Time (UTC+8)
• Runways: currently 4 (expected to be 7 in the future)

Who designed Daxing Airport?

Daxing Airport boasts the world’s largest single terminal, equivalent to the size of 25 standard football fields. The terminal building of Daxing Airport was designed by ADP Ingeniérie, a French company expert in designing airports, in collaboration with the architecture team of the late prestigious Zaha Hadid, who was the first female architect wining the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Her work includes Dancing Tower in Dubai, Guangzhou Opera House, Galaxy SOHO in Beijing, and more.

What does Daxing Airport look like?

Viewed from the sky, Daxing Airport looks a little like a phoenix with outstretched wings, which corresponds to the dragon-shaped Capital Airport and means “dragon and phoenix bring prosperity to the country.” But for those who don’t know, it looks more like a giant starfish lying on the ground.

The new mega Beijing Daxing International Airport

Because of the cool appearance and a massive covered area, this new mega-airport is regarded as one of the “seven wonders of the modern world” and an airport “straight out of a sci-fi film” by social media.

Inside the airport, there are countless restaurants, food options, and shops with brands from home and abroad. A 5G station operating at Daxing Airport can support 100 thousand people using the web with unbelievable speed! Besides, five outdoor traditional Chinese gardens display Chinese traditional items such as silk, tea, and ceramics at the end of each departure lounge.

Which airline tickets can I buy?

A passenger aircraft of China Eastern Airlines flying from Beijing Daxing International Airport

On the afternoon of September 25, 2019, 7 passenger aircraft from 7 domestic airlines took off from Beijing Daxing International Airport, marking Beijing’s new massive airport as officially open. There are also 8 foreign airlines that have been confirmed to operate at the new airport after October 27, 2019.

• Domestic airlines: China Southern, China Eastern, Air China, China United, Hebei Airlines, Capital Airlines, Juneyao Air
• Foreign airlines: British Airways, Polish Airlines, Finnair, Malaysia Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Brunei Airlines, iFly Airline, and Himalaya Airlines

Book your flight tickets from/to Beijing Daxing Airport.

How to get to Daxing Airport from Beijing?

Daxing Airport is located on the boundary of Beijing City and Hebei Province and the linear distance to Tiananmen Square- Beijing City Center - is 46 km (28.6 miles), which is about a 55-minute drive (see the Daxing Airport Map below). There are four transportation options to and from the airport.

• Daxing Airport Subway: Daxing Airport Express starts from Caoqiao (草桥) and ends at Daxing Airport. It operates from 6:00-22:30 and leaves every 8-10 minutes. A single trip takes 20 minutes and costs 35 RMB.
• Beijing-Xiong’an Intercity Railway: The high-speed train operates from 6:56-21:46 from Beijing West Railway Station to Daxing Airport and 8:20-22:50 vice-versa every day. A single trip takes 30 minutes and costs 30 RMB.
• Daxing Airport Bus: Daxing Airport Bus Lines are available at Beijing Railway Station, the south square of Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station, Beijing Sunflower Hotel, Transport for Fangshan (房山交通局), Xuanwumen (宣武门), Qianmen (前门), and Chongwenmen (崇文门). A single trip takes 90 minutes and 40 RMB.
• Taxi/Private car: A taxi from Daxing to downtown Beijing incurs an average cost of 170 RMB.

How to do the check-in?

It usually takes a lot of time to do the check-in when arriving at the airport. Luckily, Daxing International Airport makes every step easier for passengers to save time.

Inside the terminal building of Beijing Daxing International Airport

• Self-service check-in: Daxing Airport is equipped with over 400 self-service check-in machines. Passengers can check in on their own with ID cards or passports.
• Self-service information machines: There are 45 self-service information machines at Daxing Airport. They serve as Information Counters of the airport and you can search info about transportation, map, flights, service, shopping, catering and other things you may concern.
• Facial recognition: After registering on a CUSS (Common Use Self Service) machine, passengers can do safety and luggage checks with the help of a facial recognition system. No more need for passports, papers, and time-consuming checks.
• Short walking to boarding gates: This starfish-shaped new airport has a central terminal area surrounded by corridors leading to boarding gates (600 meters from the central terminal maximum). Passengers need 8 minutes at most to reach their boarding gates.
• Convenient flight transfer: It takes less than 60 minutes to transfer from flight to flight at Daxing Airport.
• Well-equipped barrier-free facilities: can meet the requirements of Beijing Winter Paralympic Games in 2022.

Where to board and how to exit Daxing Airport?

Signs at Daxing Airport

Will the visa-free service operate from the new PKX airport?

Yes, passengers can enjoy the same visa service as Beijing Capital International Airport at Beijing Daxing International Airport, including 144-hour visa-free transit, 24-hour visa-free transit, and port visa. For details and confirmation, please consult its official website: https://www.bdia.com.cn/ or service hotline 010-96158.