The first British Airways flight into the new $11 billion mega Beijing Daxing international airport landed on Sunday.
BA became the first international carrier to operate into state-of-the-art airport which covers 18 square miles of land since it opened last month.
The new starfish-shaped terminal with five concourses includes 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.
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The terminal building also features numerous innovations aimed at maximising the use of natural light and limiting energy consumption as well as more than 300 shops and restaurants.
The building is powered by solar panels and has a centralised heating system with waste heat recovery supported by a ground-source heat pump.
It features a rainwater collection and water management system linked to nearby wetlands, lakes and streams to prevent flooding and counter the summer heat effect on the local micro-climate.
Beijing Daxing is about 50km from both the city centre and 80km from Tianjin. Transport connections include four new highways, a new high-speed subway and railway line, with a travel time of to around 20 minutes in Beijing.
BA is running a daily schedule to Daxing from Heathrow using a four-class Boeing 777-300 with fare starting at £414 return.
Noella Ferns, BA 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.”
BA chief commercial officer Andrew Brem added: “This is an exciting development for our trade partners and their customers.
“Thanks to a daily flight from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Beijing, and convenient transport links to both city centres, the experience for our partners’ travellers – whether travelling for business or pleasure – couldn’t be smoother.”
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