【Updated 2019.12】 Delta officially announced that starting in March 2020, all of its Beijing flights will move to Daxing International Airport, joining China Eastern and XiamenAir there. H/T: Pro Delta

  • If you happen to have a flight, pay close attention to your connection arrangements, especially if you need to connect via PEK. See the discussion below for details.

【New】 There is a WeChat article comparing PEK and PKX that is detailed, lively, and quite interesting, so we’re sharing it here: Should You Choose Capital Airport or Daxing Airport? That Is the Question.

【New】 Previously, we only knew that airlines such as BA, MU, and CZ would move all of their Beijing flights to Daxing, making Capital Airport largely Air China’s home base. However, “during the 2019 winter-spring schedule season (October 27, 2019 to March 28, 2020), Air China will operate the international route from Daxing to Bangkok, as well as 10 domestic routes from Daxing to Shenzhen, Chongqing, Kunming, and other cities. Air China subsidiary Beijing Airlines will move in during March 2020; by 2025, Air China is expected to base around 40 to 50 aircraft at Daxing Airport.” (Quoted from Air China’s official WeChat account.) XiamenAir (FM) also currently has two routes: Daxing-Xiamen and Daxing-Fuzhou, and is expected to complete its full move-in by March 2020. So be careful about PEK-PKX open-jaw itineraries, and make sure to note clearly which airport is involved when booking.

P.S. The new airport really is stunning. If any readers visit and take photos, feel free to send us a trip report!

Beijing Daxing International Airport (IATA: PKX, ICAO: ZBAD) is a massive international aviation and ground transportation hub built between Daxing District in Beijing and Guangyang District of Langfang, Hebei. It officially opened on September 30, 2019. Its location is shown below (the red dot labeled 1 in the image is Beijing Daxing International Airport).

According to a Civil Aviation Administration document from July 2016, all SkyTeam member airlines, including China Southern and China Eastern, would move to the new airport. Air China and other Star Alliance members, along with Hainan Airlines, would remain at Beijing Capital International Airport. The following airlines are among those moving to the new airport.

  • British Airways (BA), starting October 2019
  • Air China (CA) on select routes New
  • China Southern (CZ)
  • China Eastern (MU)
  • XiamenAir (FM), currently on select routes, with full move-in expected by March 2020 New
  • Capital Airlines (JD)
  • China United Airlines (KN)
  • Hebei Airlines (NS)
  • Spring Airlines (9C)
  • Okay Airways
  • Juneyao Airlines
  • Donghai Airlines
  • China Postal Airlines

If you are flying to Beijing on BA, CZ, or MU after September 30, be sure to pay attention: your arrival airport will become PKX. PEK and PKX are far apart. Driving takes 60min-90min, and public transportation used to take about 3h (New it probably does not take that long anymore). KUKU checked a few routes, and for now it seems award bookings still do not show PEK+PKX combinations. But if you are booking your own multi-segment ticket and any of the airlines above are involved, make sure to watch for this carefully. When OTAs sell cheap tickets, PEK/PKX open-jaw itineraries may also appear. If you really have to book one, be sure to factor in the transfer time. Taking a trip from Daxing Airport PKX to Capital Airport PEK as an example:

  • Driving route (takes 60min-90min):
  • Previous public transit route (took 3h-3.5h):
  • New Daxing Airport now has 6 rail lines underneath the terminal, including subway, high-speed rail, and intercity rail service running through the entire terminal. Travel between PEK and PKX should be shortened quite a bit, though the exact timing is still unclear.