Cheaper tickets expected to attract more travelers

With the opening of the new, gigantic Beijing Daxing International Airport, domestic and foreign carriers will be able to add more slots, and the increased capacity is expected to offer passengers more options with better facilities and cheaper tickets, industry experts said.

In the early stages of its operation, Daxing airport, located in southwest suburban Beijing, will have certain disadvantages, given its farther distance, but in the next few years is expected to offer cheaper flights compared with the capital airport.

“The price advantages of Daxing airport will draw more price-sensitive passengers. Located far from downtown, it will be more attractive to leisure travelers, and the capital airport will remain the first choice for business travelers,” said Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst.

“Meanwhile, with the offering of cheaper tickets at the new airport, the capital airport is likely to lower its flight ticket prices as well, according to market trends,” he said.

Most of the tickets that are being sold online for flights to and from Daxing airport are cheaper than the ones that operate on the same routes from the capital airport on the same dates. Weeklong roundtrip flights between Daxing airport and Helsinki in November would cost about 1,000 yuan ($140) less than the same flight that departs from the capital airport.

“I still prefer the capital airport, as it is closer and more convenient,” said Tian Shen, a 27-year-old bank employee in Beijing. “For international flights, if the tickets are 3,000 yuan cheaper, I may consider going to Daxing airport. Otherwise, it would be too troublesome for me to go there.”

With an investment of over 80 billion yuan, its vertically stacked domestic and international departure halls will offer passengers faster services for check-ins, transfers, security checks and baggage claim, said France-based ADP Ingenierie, the architectural designer of the airport.

Its new smart facilities such as facial recognition at check-in, security check and boarding, will give Beijing a much-needed impetus to improve its standing as a major global aviation hub and draw more international transfer passengers.

State-owned China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, which will take dominant market shares at the new airport, carried out their first flights from Daxing airport on Wednesday.

They will move to the new airport by gradually transferring flights.

By March 2021, China Southern will finish shifting all of its flights to the new airport, and China Eastern will transfer 80 percent of its flights. Moreover, more than 50 domestic and foreign carriers have shown interest in operating flights there.

American Airlines, which partners with China Southern, and Delta Air Lines, which works with China Eastern, are expected to move to Daxing airport, but they haven’t announced specific plans.

Foreign airlines are encouraged to launch international flights at the new airport, with an option to operate in Beijing’s two airports, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

British Airways became the first overseas carrier to announce that, starting Oct 27, it will move all of its operations to the new airport.

Nordic carrier Finnair will grow its operations in China by operating at both airports. Finnair will operate three weekly flights between Helsinki and the new Daxing airport beginning Nov 3. The new frequencies are on top of its daily flights to the capital airport.

“Our aim is to grow sustainably in China, one of our top markets globally,” said Ole Orver, chief commercial officer of Finnair.