Delta Airlines has confirmed its decision to move its aircraft stationed at Beijing Capital International Airport to Beijing Daxing International Airport from March 2020. Along with its Sky Team partner, China Eastern Airlines, Delta will be relocating its services to the star-shaped Daxing Airport which is intended to ensure smooth and convenient domestic and international connections for both airlines. With this relocation, Delta has taken the lead as the first US carrier in operating to and from Beijing’s second international airport which began its operations early in 2019.
Beijing Daxing International Airport is one of the world’s leading integrated transportation hubs and the world’s biggest single-building airport terminal. Spanning 700,000 square meters, China’s Daxing Airport is expected to handle over 72 million passenger trips a year by 2025. Situated on the border of Hebei Province, the airport is located nearly 46 km to the south of the Beijing city center.
Daxing International Airport will provide Delta Airlines with a great opportunity to serve the growing needs of its customers. When Delta moves to Daxing, along with China Eastern Airlines, Delta will be able to accommodate the growing numbers of passengers by increasing the number of on-time departure and arrival flights, alongside ensuring more convenient baggage delivery, faster security check, custom clearance and boarding, and efficient arrival procedures.
The Deputy General Manager of Daxing International Airport Kong Yue said, “We are excited to have Delta Airlines as one of the key tenant airlines at the Daxing Airport, which is designed for a seamless connection. We share the same goal of providing passengers with pleasant travel experience on-ground hospitality. When Delta moves to Daxing, we’ll continue working closely together to ensure passengers flying to and from Daxing Airport could enjoy the best-in-class services.”
In 2015, Delta Airlines acquired a 3.5% stake in China Eastern Airlines by investing a whopping $450 million and made it a codeshare partner. Delta Airlines’ daily flight services from Beijing to Detroit and Seattle will be operating from Daxing Airport and will be extended to over 30 cities across China through codeshare flights on China Eastern Airlines.
When Delta moves to Daxing, Delta One members, as well as SkyMiles Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion members traveling on flights from the USA to China, will be able to savor the amenities of China Eastern’s new VIP lounges at Daxing International Airport. China Eastern has two domestic lounges and one international lounge at Daxing Airport. One domestic lounge located in the central area of the terminal, while the other is situated on Level 3 in the southeastern pier; the international lounge is located on Level 4 in the central area. All three lounges are fully equipped with modern amenities and travelers-friendly facilities.
Delta’s long-haul flights from Detroit to Beijing are currently being served by the airline’s flagship Airbus A350, while the daily flights from Seattle to Beijing will deploy the new Airbus A330-900 neo. In the first half of 2020, Delta plans to operate all six of its nonstop flights from the USA to China on a daily basis; all equipped with the next-generation Delta One suites and Delta Premium Select Products.
Early in 2019, Delta moved its Shanghai operations to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport Satellite 1 Terminal, the world’s largest satellite airport terminal. Delta runs four daily non-stop services in Shanghai including flights from Detroit to Shanghai, flights from Seattle to Shanghai, flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai and flights from Atlanta to Shanghai.