British Airways (BA) became the first international carrier to operate into state-of-the-art Beijing Daxing airport which covers 18 square miles of land since it opened last month. The new starfish-shaped terminal with five concourses includes facial recognition and self-service biometrics at security, self-service check-in kiosks and baggage drop machines, a paperless journey from check-in to boarding, and real-time baggage tracking.

The terminal building also features numerous innovations aimed at maximising the use of natural light and limiting energy consumption as well as more than 300 shops and restaurants. It is powered by solar panels and has a centralised heating system with waste heat recovery supported by a ground-source heat pump. It features a rainwater collection and water management system linked to nearby wetlands, lakes and streams to prevent flooding and counter the summer heat effect on the local micro-climate.

BA is running a daily schedule to Daxing from Heathrow using a four-class Boeing 777-300. Noella Ferns, executive vice president in Greater China and the Philippines at BA said: “This innovative new airport and the world-class customer experience it provides will play an important part of our strategy to increase travel between China, the UK and beyond.”