Etihad Airways lands at Beijing Daxing International Airport

The airline has operated its inaugural flight to the hub, designed by the late Zaha Hadid

Etihad's flight EY888 arrives at Beijing Daxing International Airport. Photo: Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways has commenced flights between Abu Dhabi and Beijing Daxing International Airport.

Its inaugural flight EY888, operated using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, marked the airline’s shift from Beijing Capital International Airport to the city's biggest hub.

This year also marks the 15th anniversary of Etihad's services to China, as well as its Abu Dhabi-Beijing route.

“With China’s reopening and the restart of the aviation and tourism industries, we are very glad to see the long overdue move of our scheduled services to Beijing Daxing International Airport, which will further strengthen our commitment to the country’s aviation market development and Chinese travellers,” says Arik De, Etihad's chief revenue officer.

“The integrated transportation facilities at Beijing Daxing International Airport will give Etihad Airways access to a huge catchment area around Beijing West Rail Station. We will be working closely with local partners to transfer Etihad’s rich experience in Europe, working with intermodal rail service operators, to Daxing, to allow greater choice at a competitive fare on a single connecting ticket through air-rail modality.”

Beijing Daxing International Airport is located 46km south of Beijing city centre and has ambitious plans to handle 100 million passengers and four million tonnes of cargo annually.

The starfish-shaped airport was designed by the late Zaha Hadid and began operations in 2019. It consists of five connected concourses, making it the world's largest single-building airport.

The 700,000-square-metre passenger terminal includes an 80,000-square-metre ground transportation centre offering direct connections to Beijing, while the airport itself has four runways.

"Etihad Airways is one of the first airlines in the Middle East to move to Beijing Daxing International Airport, and we congratulate them on this successful inaugural flight,” says Wang Yaqi, general manager of aviation business at the airport.

Etihad resumed flights from Abu Dhabi to Beijing in June, becoming the first international airline to recommence regular direct flights to the city after it reopened to tourists following strict Covid-19 lockdowns.

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