BA makes first flight into Beijing Daxing International Airport
British Airways has today made its first flight into the new state-of-the-art Beijing Daxing International Airport. British Airways is the first international airline to do so since the airport one of the most technologically advanced in the world was officially opened last month.
Courtesy British Airways
The maiden flight, on a Boeing 777-300, arrived this morning at 09.15 local time. Go Pro footage from the flight shows the extraordinary view of the airport that greeted flight crew on their descent. British Airways will run a daily service between Heathrow and Beijing Daxing, with four cabins: First, Club World (business class), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and World Traveller (economy).
The 700,000m² airport was designed in partnership with British Architecture firm, Zaha Hadid Architects.
British Airways customers arriving in Beijing Daxing are set to experience a range of innovations as they travel through the new terminal building, including facial recognition and self-service biometrics at security, self-service check-in kiosks and baggage drop machines, a paperless journey from check-in to boarding and real-time baggage tracking.
The terminal building also features numerous innovations aimed at maximising the use of natural light and limiting energy consumption. It is powered by photovoltaic solar panels and has a centralised heating system with waste heat recovery supported by a ground-source heat pump. It also has a state-of-the-art rainwater collection and water management system linked to nearby wetlands, lakes and streams to prevent flooding and counter the summer 'heat island' effect on the local microclimate.
Once customers have passed through security, they will have access to over 300 shops and restaurants and for those eligible access to two brand-new partner lounges operated by BCS and the East Pacific Group.
Noella Ferns, British Airways’ Executive Vice President in Greater China and the Philippines, said: “British Airways is hugely proud to be the first international airline to fly into Beijing Daxing.
"This stunning and innovative new airport and the world-class customer experience it provides will play an important part of our strategy to increase travel between China, the UK and beyond.”