Etihad has arrived at Beijing Daxing. The Middle-Eastern carrier inaugurated its Daxing connection on March 28th, marking the transition of its Dreamliner services from Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) to the alternative Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX).
The airlines' Boeing 787-9 operated the first flight, holding the registration A6-BLO, a Dreamliner that arrived at Etihad in June 2017. Chief Revenue Officer of Etihad Airways, Arik De, noted the carrier's excitement and plans to operate at Daxing:
“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 travelers.
“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.”
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According to schedules on Flightradar24, the carrier will not take off as EY888 to Beijing Daxing again until April 4th, marking a once-weekly operation for April, before increasing to three times per week from April 30th, from there taking off from Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH) on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
Schedule to Beijing Daxing and return.
Etihad will follow the below schedule:
- EY888, departing from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) at 21:05, arriving at Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) at 08:50 the following day. Flight time of 6 hours and 50 minutes.
- EY889, departing from Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) at 20:15, arriving at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) at 01:10 the following day. Flight time of 7 hours and 45 minutes.
The carrier's first return service from Beijing Daxing will take place on March 30th, whisking travelers back to the Middle-Eastern hub, where passengers can connect to more than 70 destinations from Abu Dhabi, such as the airline recently added destinations at Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, or Lisbon.
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15 years in China
This year marks Etihad's 15th anniversary operating in China, with the move to Daxing further strengthening bilateral relations with the world's most populated economy. The General Manager of the Aviation Business at Beijing Daxing International Airport, Mr. Wang Yaqi, released this comment in the airline's statement:
"Abu Dhabi Airports Company signed an MoU to build a sister-airport relationship with Beijing Daxing International Airport in 2019, which strengthened the capital-to-capital link. 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 from Abu Dhabi to Beijing Daxing International Airport.
“Beijing Daxing International Airport believes that on the basis of win-win cooperation, both sides will inject new vitality into the recovery of civil aviation in China and even the world while, at the same time, making a greater contribution to the people and business ties between the two countries."
What do you think about Etihad's move to Beijing's newest airport? Let us know in the comments!
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Etihad Airways
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- EY/ETD
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Abu Dhabi International Airport
- Year Founded:
- 2003
- CEO:
- Tony Douglas
- Country:
- United Arab Emirates
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Beijing Daxing Airport
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- PKX/ZBAD
- Country:
- China
- CEO:
- Wang Jiadong
- Passenger Count :
- 25,051,012 (2021)
- Runways :
- 01L/19R - 3,400m (11,155ft) | 17L/35R - 3,800m (12,467ft) | 17R/35L - 3,800m (12,467ft) | 11L/29R - 3,800m (12,467ft)
