Beijing Daxing Airport (PKX)

Daxing or Capital: which Beijing airport?

Beijing has two international airports, and “Beijing” on a ticket can mean either. Daxing (PKX) is the newer one, far to the south. Capital (PEK) is closer in, to the north-east. The three-letter code on your boarding pass settles it, and the Capital (PEK) guide covers the other airport.

	Daxing (PKX)	Capital (PEK)
Where	About 50 km south of the centre	About 25 km north-east of the centre
Rail into the city	Daxing Airport Express to Caoqiao, about 20 minutes, ¥35	Capital Airport Express to Dongzhimen or Sanyuanqiao, 25–35 minutes, ¥25
Taxi into the city	Roughly ¥150–250	Roughly ¥100–200
Between the two	About 80 km apart: allow 1.5–2 hours	Same

One terminal, with the station underneath

Daxing has a single terminal building, with its rail station on the bottom floor. The levels you will use:

• B1: the rail station hall, for the Daxing Airport Express and intercity trains. Overnight check-in counters and a security checkpoint are here too.
• Level 1: the taxi rank outside Gate 18, city buses inside Gate 20 on the east side, and intercity buses inside Gate 15 on the west side.
• Level 2: Gate 14, which leads into the east corridor for ride-hailing pick-ups and down to the taxi area.
• Level 3: the main security checkpoints and the international departures area.

The Chinese airlines here include China Southern and China Eastern, the two big home carriers, plus Xiamen Airlines, China United, Hebei, Capital, Juneyao, Chongqing Airlines and some Air China flights.

Arriving at PKX

The airport’s inbound guide sets out the order: arrivals corridor, fingerprint collection, health quarantine and border inspection, baggage claim, customs, and then the arrivals hall. Fingerprints come before the immigration desk, so expect a stop at the fingerprint machines first.

Just outside the international and regional baggage claim hall is a Beijing Service counter, the airport’s one-stop desk for arrivals. It covers more than 20 services across money, phones and data, transport, and culture and tourism.

Transiting at PKX: which path are you on?

What happens after you land depends on whether your bags are checked through and whether you want to leave the airport. The airport publishes separate procedures for each combination of domestic and international flights, and its Transfer Concierge gives step-by-step guidance once you enter both flight numbers.

Your situation	What you do at PKX	Entry permission needed?
International to international, bags checked through, staying airside	Follow the transfer signs to the transfer security check, then to your gate	No: airside transit needs no visa
International to international, bags not checked through	Clear immigration, collect your bags, check in again	Yes
International to domestic	Clear immigration and customs at PKX, then connect as a domestic passenger	Yes
Leaving the airport between flights	Clear immigration at the visa-free transit counter or lane	Yes
Connecting to a Capital (PEK) flight	Clear immigration at PKX, then cross the city by bus or rail	Yes

“Entry permission” means one of four things:

1. 240-hour visa-free transit, if your passport is one of the 57 eligible countries and your onward ticket goes to a third country or region within 240 hours.
2. 30-day visa-free entry, where your nationality qualifies.
3. A 24-hour temporary entry permit, requested at the transit counter and usually granted for a genuine short stop with an onward ticket.
4. A visa.

The eligibility checker tells you which applies, and 24-hour vs 240-hour transit explains the difference. PKX is a designated 240-hour port: the permitted area is Beijing, and cross-province travel into the other participating provinces’ permitted areas is allowed. The 65 ports and permitted areas reference has the detail. For what to do with the time, see things to do in Beijing on a layover.

The Airport Express, trains, buses and taxis

The Daxing Airport Express

The fastest way in leaves from B1. It stops at Daxing Airport, Daxing Xincheng and Caoqiao, and the ride to Caoqiao takes about 20 minutes. Caoqiao is the end of the line for now: change there for Metro Line 10 or 19.

Direction	Hours
Daxing Airport to Caoqiao	06:00–23:00 Monday to Saturday; 06:00–23:30 on Sunday
Caoqiao to Daxing Airport	05:30–22:30

Trains run at least every 9 minutes 20 seconds until 22:30, then every 15 minutes. Ticket sales and checks stop 5 minutes before the last train, and the operator suggests being in the station 10 minutes before it.

• Fares: ¥35 for the full trip in standard class, or ¥50 in business class.
• Airline discounts: China Southern, China Eastern, Air China and Xiamen Airlines offer discounted Airport Express tickets to passengers flying to or from Daxing. Ask your airline about the terms.
• Children 1.3 m tall or under ride free with a paying adult.

Intercity trains

The same B1 station is also a mainline railway station. Trains on the Beijing–Xiong’an line run to Beijing West, where you can change to Metro Lines 7 and 9. Other services reach Tianjin, Tangshan, Xiong’an, Langfang, Baoding and Shijiazhuang. Book on 12306 or Trip.com with your passport: see high-speed rail for tourists.

Airport buses

City buses leave from inside Gate 20 on the east side of level 1, and intercity buses from inside Gate 15 on the west side. Daxing’s routes reach all of Beijing’s main railway stations: Beijing, Beijing South, Beijing West, Beijing North, Qinghe, Fengtai and Tongzhou. Timetables and tickets are on the 机场巴士官方平台 (Airport Bus Official Platform) WeChat mini program, or call +86-10-81698565.

From June to 31 October 2026, the airport ran free rides on six bus routes for passengers arriving on international and regional flights. Ask at the Beijing Service counter whether a similar offer is running when you land.

Taxis and DiDi

The taxi rank is outside Gate 18 on level 1. From level 2, you can also take Gate 14 into the east corridor and the escalator on the right down to the taxi area. Use the meter, refuse any fixed price, and ask for a receipt at the end.

Beijing’s tariff starts at ¥13 for the first 3 km, then ¥2.3 per km, with surcharges for longer and late-night rides. Daxing is far out, so a ride into the centre comes to roughly ¥150–250.

Ride-hailing pick-ups are reached from Gate 14 on level 2, along the corridor. DiDi cars pick up in e-hailing zone A, other apps in zone B. Follow the pick-up point in your order. See DiDi and ride-hailing in China.

Getting to Capital Airport (PEK)

The two airports are about 80 km apart, on opposite sides of the city.

• By airport bus: a route runs from Daxing via Liujiayao, Fangzhuang, Shuangjing and Liangmaqiao to Capital Airport. Check times on the airport bus mini program or hotline.
• By rail: the Daxing Airport Express to Caoqiao, Metro Line 10 to Sanyuanqiao, then the Capital Airport Express. That is two changes with your bags.

Either way, allow 1.5–2 hours, plus immigration at PKX if you arrive from abroad. Never combine a two-airport connection with sightseeing.

Sleeping at or near PKX

• In the international departures area (level 3): the Donghai passenger lounge.
• Airside on the domestic side: Ruqi hourly rest rooms on level 1, opposite gates D112 (east) and A102 (west), and a Shimian branch at the end of Pier D.
• Landside: Shimian hourly rest rooms on level 1, opposite Gate 16 (west) and Gate 20 (east).
• Nearby hotels: the airport lists the Mumian Hotel (木棉花酒店) and the Meichen Hotel (美宸酒店).
• A free airline hotel: China Southern, China Eastern and Air China all include Beijing in their transit hotel schemes. The rules are strict: see free layover hotels by airline.

Spending the night before a flight. For a next-day departure you can check in and go airside from 08:00 the day before until 02:00 on the day. If your airline’s counter is closed, go to B1: China Southern, Xiamen and Jiangxi Airlines at U21, China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines at W14, China United at W22, and other airlines at W01. Spring Airlines and 9 Air cannot check passengers in overnight. Security runs on level 3 and B1, and at checkpoint D57 on B1 when level 3 is closed. Inside, there are 14 free rest areas with loungers and sofas, 373 massage chairs, and 10 food outlets open 24 hours.

Wi-Fi, money and phones

• Wi-Fi is free. Join BDIA-FREE-WIFI and photograph your passport page on the authorization page, with no Chinese phone number needed. More in China airport Wi-Fi.
• Money and phones: the Beijing Service counter outside international baggage claim covers both. It is still easier to set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly (how to pay in China) and to install a travel eSIM that works the moment you land (eSIM setup before you land).

Getting back for your flight

• Aim to be in the terminal 2.5 hours before an international departure. Check-in, security and exit immigration add up.
• Last trains toward the airport: the Daxing Airport Express leaves Caoqiao for the last time at 22:30. Check bus times on the mini program.
• Security and the international departures area are on level 3. Late at night, when the level 3 checkpoints close, use checkpoint D57 on B1.