American Airlines plans to restart service to Beijing in March when it will fly to the "world's largest airport," the new Beijing Daxing International Airport, directly from DFW International Airport.
The Fort Worth-based airline is making the switch from the older Beijing Capital Airport to the new Daxing airport, a $12 billion megaproject that includes 7.5 million square feet of space inside of its starfish-shaped terminal. The new airport opened in 2019 and airlines such as Delta have already shifted service there.
"Moving to Daxing International Airport in Beijing when flights return in March is going to offer our customers access to a state-of-the-art airport, with ease of connections as we plan to codeshare with our strategic partner, China Southern," said a statement from Vasu Raja, American's chief revenue officer.
"While there is so much uncertainty in travel right now, we want to be well-positioned to serve our customers, shareholders and team members with the best service, convenience and products all over the world when they're ready," he said. "Daxing is very much a part of that bright future."
Much of that depends on American's plans to return to Beijing, as international travel, particularly to Asia, was hammered during the COVID-19 crisis. American stopped flights to Beijing in February as the virus began to spread internationally.
American has been operating some cargo-only flights to Beijing Capital Airport during the pandemic.
American plans to restart direct flights to Hong Kong and Shanghai in China later this month, as well as Tokyo's Haneda airport.
The flights to Beijing from DFW, which American has dubbed its Trans-Pacific hub, will help connect U.S. passengers to American's partner airlines in Asia, including China Southern. From there, customers will be able to connect to most major destinations in Asia.
The new airport is about 25 miles south of central Beijing, while the older Beijing Capital is just north of the city. The airport even features a few American creature comforts, such as Starbucks, Godiva chocolate and a Pizza Hut restaurant.
