Beijing Daxing airport braces for record passenger flow over May Day holiday

Passengers line up for check-in at the Beijing Daxing International Airport on Tuesday. (Photo by Luo Wangshu/chinadaily.com.cn)

Beijing Daxing International Airport is expected to set new records for passenger traffic and flight volume during the upcoming May Day holiday, handling over 714,000 passenger trips from Thursday to May 5 — the highest figure for this holiday period since the airport opened in September 2019, the airport said on Tuesday.

Over the five-day holiday, the airport is projected to manage 4,687 flights, averaging 937 flights per day, with an anticipated 8.1 percent increase in passenger volume and a 5.7 percent rise in flights compared to the same period last year.

The first travel peak is expected on Thursday, with 989 flights and 156,000 passenger trips, while the return peak is forecast for May 5, when 988 inbound flights are expected to transport around 158,000 travelers.

The Beijing Daxing International Airport, known for its starfish shaped terminal and advanced infrastructure, continues to expand its international footprint. On Monday, Royal Brunei Airlines resumed its round-trip service between Beijing Daxing and Bandar Seri Begawan, operating twice weekly. With this addition, the airport now serves over 40 international destinations, including major tourism hubs such as Singapore, Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul and Casablanca.

To better serve international travelers, the airport continues to upgrade its multilingual service capabilities, equipping inquiry counters with translation devices and interpretation support in collaboration with local universities. The service is provided in real-time in eight languages including English, French, German and Japanese. Foreign visitors can also benefit from enhanced services in payments, communications, transportation, baggage, tourism and consultation. All commercial outlets at the airport accept both domestic and international bank cards, and currency exchange services are available throughout the terminal.

"This year's five-day May Day holiday is expected to witness continued growth across China's civil aviation market," said Shang Kejia, deputy director of the transport department at the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Nationwide, the sector is projected to handle approximately 10.75 million passenger trips during the holiday, averaging 2.15 million trips per day — an 8 percent year-on-year increase and a new record for the period.

International travel is also experiencing a strong recovery. Passenger volume and flight activity on international routes during the May Day holiday are expected to reach their highest levels since the beginning of the second quarter.

"Travel demand will mainly focus on popular destinations such as Japan, South Korea, and countries and regions across Southeast Asia," Shang noted.

Additionally, improvements in visa facilitation and the expanded implementation of services such as instant tax refunds for overseas visitors are expected to further stimulate inbound travel, contributing to a continued rise in foreign airlines increasing their operations in China.