China Eastern Airlines Succeeds in Test flight at Beijing's New Airport

China Eastern Airlines completed its first test flight at Beijing Daxing International Airport on May 13, which laid a solid foundation for the company's operation at the airport.

The flagship aircraft type - the A350-900 - was selected to take the test.

The airplane features an advanced flight control system, and a flight deck equipped with double head-up display (HUD) which can show the flight track and the navigation information as well as the exterior live-action outside the plane on one screen.

The device improves the pilots' perception of the environment.

The new airport is a new power for development and a significant landmark project in Beijing.

It is estimated that China Eastern Airlines will invest more than 20 billion yuan ($2.91 billion) in infrastructure construction and nearly 100 billion yuan in its airplanes' operations.

The company started its capital construction at the new airport on June 29, 2017, which included a core working area, a service zone, a freight zone, areas for aircraft and special vehicles maintenance and the in-flight catering and ground service zones.

To date, 90 percent of the first phase which covers 470,000 sq m has been completed and the construction of the second phase of 700,000 sq m started on March 16, 2019.

China Eastern Airlines is the only SkyTeam member that will have the new airport as a main base.

China United Airlines, a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, targeting passengers with economic flight demands, will move to the airport and become the first airline to operate there.

China Eastern Airlines' flights in Beijing, except those from Beijing to Shanghai, will also move to the new airport and by 2020 all flights for summer and autumn travels will be transferred to Daxing.

Flights of some international partner airlines of the company will also move to the new airport.

According to the company, business lines from Beijing Daxing International Airport to Shanghai, Kunming, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen will be jointly opened by some affiliated companies of China Eastern Airlines, aiming to cover all capital cities in China.

In terms of the international flights, the company will focus on developing air lines to Paris, London, Sydney and Tokyo.

By 2025, China Eastern Airlines intends to have 180 to 200 airplanes at the airport and to operate about 650 flights per day. The air lines will cover main cities in China and some international air transport hubs like Paris, Amsterdam, Detroit, Seattle and Seoul.

(Executive editor: Li Shuling)