Beijing’s Sprawling New Daxing Airport Finished, to Open This Fall

Crews have put the finishing touches on the new Beijing Daxing International airport that is due to open by the end of September.

State media reports that work on the more than 7.5 million square foot terminal south of Beijing wrapped up on Sunday, with the first passenger flights expected by Sept. 30. The terminal is designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.

Daxing (PKX) will complement Beijing Capital (PEK), the Chinese capital’s existing airport northeast of the city, serving Beijing.

China Southern Airlines is expected to move its entire operation to Daxing from Capital when the airport opens, the South China Morning Post reported in May. China Eastern Airlines is expected to move the majority of its flights, while Air China — the dominant carrier at Capital — will gain a small number of slots at the new airport.

US carriers American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have expressed interest in serving Daxing with their partners when it opens. American partners with China Southern, and Delta with China Eastern.

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American spokeswoman Nichelle Tait says the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier is "closely considering" relocating flights to Daxing airport, but adds that it has not made a decision.

Similarly, Delta is "gathering information" on the new airport before making a decision on whether to move, says spokeswoman Susannah Thurston.

American serves Beijing from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Los Angeles (LAX), having officially dropped service from Chicago O’Hare last month. Delta serves the city from Detroit (DTW) and Seattle (SEA).

Corrections and clarifications: This post has been updated with the correct spelling of Beijing's new Daxing airport.