Beijing Daxing Airport Hits 20M Passengers, Adding Milan-Lisbon-Bali Routes as Foreign Travelers Surge 40%
Beijing Daxing Airport Hits 20M Passengers, Adding Milan-Lisbon-Bali Routes as Foreign Travelers Surge 40%
Beijing Daxing International Airport crossed the 20 million passenger mark on May 14—six days ahead of its 2025 pace—with daily peaks setting all-time records. More significantly for the inbound tourism industry, the airport's foreign passenger count has surged over 40% year-on-year, and three major new international routes launching in June will further expand its reach into Europe and Southeast Asia.
By the Numbers
| Metric | 2026 Figure | Comparison |
| Cumulative passengers (Jan 1 – May 14) | 20.12 million | +4.75% YoY, 6 days ahead of 2025 |
| Daily average flights | 967 | — |
| Daily average passengers | 150,200 | — |
| Single-day flight peak | 1,133 | All-time Daxing record |
| Single-day passenger peak | 192,500 | All-time Daxing record |
| Foreign passengers (Jan 1 – May 5) | 680,000+ | +40%+ YoY |
| Border crossings (Jan 1 – May 5) | 2 million+ | 10 days ahead of 2025 |
The record-setting single-day peaks—1,133 flights and 192,500 passengers—represent the highest figures since the airport's opening in 2019, confirming that Daxing has moved well beyond its pandemic recovery phase into genuine growth territory.
International Network: 40+ Destinations, 29 Countries, and Growing
Daxing currently operates international and regional routes to 40+ destinations across 29 countries, with 72 domestic and international airlines operating from the airport. Routes added or restored so far in 2026 include:
- Colombo (Sri Lanka)
- Phu Quoc (Vietnam)
- Malé (Maldives)
- Moscow and Yekaterinburg (Russia)
- Frankfurt (Germany)
The June additions are particularly notable for inbound tourism:
| New Route | Significance |
| Milan | First direct Daxing-Italy connection; Italy is China's #1 European source market for cultural tourism |
| Lisbon | First direct Daxing-Portugal connection; opens Iberian Peninsula access |
| Bali | Major leisure destination; supports China's 240-hour transit visa-free policy for Southeast Asian corridors |
These three routes fill significant gaps in Daxing's European and Southeast Asian coverage. Milan, in particular, addresses a long-standing absence—Italian tourists have been among the fastest-growing European inbound segments, with Trenitalia-style interest in China's high-speed rail and cultural heritage sites.
Inbound-Friendly Infrastructure
Beyond route expansion, Daxing is actively integrating inbound tourism convenience into its operations:
- Inbound travel discounts for international visitors arriving at the airport
- Ticket-stub promotions linking airport arrival with local tourism experiences
- First-time traveler incentives encouraging visitors who have never flown to China before
- Domestic network expansion: Nearly 40 new or increased-frequency domestic destinations since the spring schedule change, enabling seamless connections from international arrivals to second-tier tourism cities
The airport's role as an inbound gateway is reinforced by its physical design: immigration processing, customs clearance, and the airport's "convenience service center" (providing payment setup, SIM card purchase, and transportation guidance) are co-located in the international arrivals area, reducing the "first-hour friction" that many foreign visitors experience when landing in China.
What This Means for Inbound Travel Planning
For travel professionals, Daxing's expansion has several practical implications:
1. European itinerary design: Milan and Lisbon routes open one-stop connections from secondary European cities that previously required transit through PEK, PVG, or CAN. This is especially valuable for small-group and custom tour operators serving Italian and Portuguese markets.
2. Multi-city China itineraries: Daxing's 180+ domestic connections mean an international visitor can land in Beijing and connect to virtually any second-tier tourism city within 3 hours—a logistical advantage that PEK cannot match due to slot constraints.
3. Visa-free transit leverage: The 240-hour transit visa-free policy, which allows nationals of 55 countries to visit China without a visa if transiting to a third country, becomes more attractive with each new international route. The Milan and Lisbon routes create natural round-trip itineraries (Europe → Daxing → Southeast Asia → Europe) that qualify for transit visa-free entry.
4. Pricing dynamics: As a newer airport with lower slot costs than PEK, Daxing tends to attract competitive pricing from airlines—beneficial for inbound tour operators managing group costs.
Daxing's trajectory—from a pandemic-era underperformer to a 20-million-passenger gateway with 40+ international routes—mirrors China's broader inbound tourism recovery. The airport's 40%+ foreign passenger growth outpaces the national average, suggesting that infrastructure investment and route expansion are converting visa-free access into actual arrivals.
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