First international flight leaves Daxing airport; more carriers plan to shift capacity

By Tu Lei Source:Global Times Published: 2019/10/27 19:58:40

The Beijing Daxing International Airport Photo: IC



China Eastern Airlines conducted the first international flight from Beijing's new mega airport, the Beijing Daxing International Airport (BDIA), with a flight to Fukuoka, Japan on Sunday.

 As the new winter season approaches, the facility, which has only been open for one month, is welcoming more carriers to transfer flights.

China Eastern and China United Airlines will together operate 153 flights per day, accounting for 50 percent of the total at the new airport. 

Those carriers will have the largest flight capacity in the new season.

"We will first transfer 10 percent of our capacity from Beijing Capital International Airport, including four international flights. Next year we will shift more flights here," Liu Hao, vice general manager of the Beijing branch of China Eastern Airlines, told the Global Times on Sunday morning.

The carrier plans to move 80 percent of its Beijing-based flights to Daxing by March 2021, making the hub the core of SkyTeam in Asia. 

Another first for Daxing came on Sunday, as private carrier Juneyao Air left Shanghai headed for Beijing, the start of its services at the new airport. The carrier will fly three round trips a day between Beijing and Shanghai, with about 1,700 seats available. 

During this winter season, there will be 15 carriers operating at Daxing, including eight from overseas carriers such as British Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Moroccan Airlines, Effie Airways and Himalayan Airlines. 

In addition, Polish Airlines and Finnair will serve both airports in Beijing, according to BDIA. 



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