To say I am not a fan of out of the town airports would be an understatement, as would my lack of trust of Chinese ones in general. There with all of this knowledge, I say don’t go to Beijing Daxing Airport.
What is Daxing Airport? Daxing Airport was built to take over from Beijing Capital Airport as the major hub. The only problem is though is that is quite literally hours away and in Hubei Province rather than Beijing.
The Daxing Airport Story
Prior to Covid-19 China was THE tourism place, with experts saying by 2025, or 2030 it would be the most popular tourist destination in the world. Then there was the virus that came and fucked with our lives.
I personally foresaw what was to come and got out of dodge. For those who didn’t though they were treated to a China more heavy handed that it had been since the Cultural Revolution, or indeed 1989.
The tourists are not coming back and the foreigners that were here have gone. One might argue that having the biggest airport in the world might have actually been an overthought, but not in China. Of course they are now doubling down and trying to insist everyone, from China Southern to Emirates make this their hub. When we came at least this was not working, with only 6 flights that day coming through our terminal.
What’s it like landing in Daxing Airport?
For us it was quite literally an awful experience. Despite there being no planes China Southern had decided to park as far as they could from immigration. It was though at immigration where things got really special. Quite simply we were given a real dressing town by a very over zealous immigration officer.
Now I am sure some with be thinking “first world problems”, or “now you know how they feel”, but the reality is I have family in China and pay a lot of taxes. Ands in reality the last British passport, or US passport holders to claim asylum here were after the Korean War.
Amenities at Daxing Arrivals
Amenities wise Daxing Airport was also particularly shite, with there being a few super overpriced restaurants selling Chinese food that was not all that good. There were also no western Chains like McDonald’s, or KFC, least of all a 7-Eleven.
Yes, I know that this is China, BUT if you decide that you want to make the biggest best and baddest airport in the world, then have the balls to see it through. The place simply reminded me of other white elephants like Guangzhou Airport, which were all front, no nickers, as my nan used to say.
Getting away from Daxing Airport
Seeing as you are slap bang in the middle of nowhere it will take down to get from here to where you want to go, unless of course you actually wanted to land in Hebei Province. To be fair to the Chinese though it is well like by Subway and indeed to the Chinese national rail network.
We though decided to go old school and take a taxi. Our portly driver was initially perplexed to have foreigners, but once he learnt that we were not only fun, but indeed spoke Chinese we had a great time, Heck he even gave me a gift!
It was though the huge freeways that made the biggest joke. For miles and miles you drive along 4-6 lane highways that have quite literally zero traffic on them, with it being all too reminiscent of either Pyongyang, or even the new capital in Myanmar.
Of course the argument is that this is for “future” traffic. Yet with China in the economic mess that it is, one might argue that said money might have been better spent elsewhere….