Beijing Daxing Intl. Airport - Spotting Guide

Beijing Daxing Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide

April 24, 2026 - last modified on May 4, 2026

Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX/ZBAD) is the newest mega-hub in China and one of the most architecturally significant airports in the world. Since its opening in 2019, it has seen a rapid upturn in passenger growth, aiming for an ultimate capacity of 100 million passengers annually. Apart from the two primary hub carriers, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, Daxing serves as the main base for the low-cost carrier China United Airlines, which moved its entire operation from the now-closed Nanyuan Airport. You will also see a strong presence from XiamenAir and Hebei Airlines.

The wide-body traffic is dominated by China Southern’s A350-900 and B787 fleets, alongside China Eastern’s heavy metal. International movements are steadily increasing, with carriers like Qatar Airways, British Airways, Etihad, and Aeroflot being regular visitors. Cargo traffic is most active during the night and early morning hours, typically featuring JD Airlines A330 and B737s. For those looking to catch the various “special liveries” (such as China Southern’s “Canton Fair” or China Eastern’s “Shanghai Disney” series), you will likely need at least 3 to 4 days, as these aircraft are rotated frequently across their vast domestic networks.
Beijing, like most major Chinese cities, has a very different spotting culture compared to Europe. While there are no official outdoor spotting locations, perimeter spotting is possible along the fences, but requires a private vehicle as the airport footprint is massive.

General tips for China

Many foreign websites and apps are blocked and don’t work in China. Below you will find some helpful apps:

WeChat: every Chinese use this app, it also has a good translation function that helps really a lot because the language is the main barrier. You can translate from Chinese writings and they can translate your English into Chinese characters. This is a must have. The common western messenger services like Facebook, WhatsApp etc. don not work in China!
Alipay: it is a major Chinese App that can be registered abroad and almost all shops/stores/hotels etc. support it as an official payment. You can add your western credit card like Amex, VISA or Mastercard to Alipay in advance. Furthermore you can also book and pay flights, hotels, restaurants, didi etc. with the app. This app is a must have!
Didi: the Chinese “Uber”. Very helpful to reach the spots which are not connected to the public transport.
Baidu Maps or Amap or Gaode Maps: this is the chinese google/apple maps.

We recommend to buy a chinese eSIM in advance from airalo for example. It is cheap and simple to install.

Written by Julian Mittnacht, Tom Ing, Jason, Changxing and Tombarelli Federico. Last Update: April 2026

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
01L/19R	3.400 m (11.155 ft) Concrete
11L/29R	3.800 m (12.467 ft) Concrete
17L/35R	3.800 m (12.467 ft) Concrete
17R/35L	3.800 m (12.467 ft) Concrete
Terminals	Currently one terminal for all operations.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not required at any of the spots described below.
Car/Public Transport	Car is not required. Taxi/Didi is a good choice. Most short drives around the airport are less than 2 Euros. It is advisable to prepare some maps at home to show to the taxi driver. Make sure the maps have the written name (in Chinese!) of the location (or streets) where you want to go. Do not expect taxi drivers to speak English. Though some of them know one or two words it will never be enough so that you explain where you want to go.
Drinks/Food	Only spots 1-3 are next to the terminal where food options available. All other spots are remote places.
Hotels	There aren’t hotels around the airport.
Season	Season is a difficult topic in PEK. In recent years, the government in Beijing has made huge efforts in improving the air quality, especially in winter. Besides, Beijing usually witnesses strong wind in winter, which likely results in clear days. I would recommend winter although the days are relatively short. North-south operations often happen in spring and the weather in spring is not that bad. So spring is also a good season to visit PKX. The summertime from June to August records the highest amount of precipitation. Most of the spots are on fields and you need to use dirt roads, so it will become very muddy and impossible to pass. Furthermore, Beijing is usually smoggy and way too hot in summer. Autumn (especailly late autumn) is simillar to spring, except less southernly operations. In summary, October – April are good months to visit PKX.
Security	No reported issues with police at any of the spots described below. The security guards patrol the perimeter roads frequently; they are generally professional, but it is advised to remain cooperative and keep a low profile, especially when using ladders or large camera gear near the fences.
Runway Usage
01L/19R	Main runway for arrivals, used in both directions.
11L/29R	Only in use for departures on 11L.
17L/35R	Only in use for departures from both directions.
17R/35L	Main runway for arrivals, used in both directions.

Usually it is hard to predict the runway they will use for arrivals, but for departures if the destination is westbound they will mostly pick 17L/35R while if it is eastbound they will mostly opt for 11L.

Due to national security concerns, the use of geographic information in China is restricted and the layers in google maps don´t fit. The satellite images are correct but the street layers are displaced!
Please click on the link at each location (WHERE) to get to the chinese website baidu where you find an exact map with satellite and street view images. If you use a smartphone please download the Baidu App.

	Spot #1 – Hangyuan Street – 01L arrivals
WHERE	The location is at the cross of two roads(Hangyuan Street/Hangtai Street,航源街与航泰街交叉口) on the sidewalk. It’s within walking distance from the terminal. Exit the building and walk northwards and turn right into the Hangyuan Street and walk until its end. Parking might be possible directly at the spot by the roadside as it’s partially a dead end road.

WHAT	Arrivals on runway 01L only.

TIME	From afternoon until sunset.

MISC.	No amenities nearby except some trees spending shade.

FOCAL LENGTH	50-200mm is recommended.

No photos available.

	Spot #2 – Park – 35R departures
WHERE	Just outside the Terminal there is a lovely park between a parking garage and some China Southern’s buildings.

WHAT	Departures on runway 35R. Due to the distance heat distortion can pop up.

TIME	From sunrise until early noon.

MISC.	Terminal with all its amenities is just around the corner.

FOCAL LENGTH	A330 = 300mm; B737-800 = 400mm

	Spot #3 – Taxi Parking Lot – 35R departures
WHERE	Another option for the 35R departures is at the entrance of the taxi parking lot where you can stay on the sidewalk. Parking is forbidden there, but you can get riff of your car outside at the “No.2 Gate/二号通道”, which is an entry gate for the workforce of the airport.

WHAT	Departures on runway 35R. Less heat distortion from this spot than from spot 2.

TIME	From sunrise until early noon.

MISC.	No amenities nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	A330 = 250mm

	Spot #4 – Fields – 17R arrivals
WHERE	There are some farm roads in the northern area of the airport where you can spot from. There are two options to access this place. By foot from the terminal just walk north and then turn into the Jichang Blvd. Pass the 17 approach and when the road turns left use the gap in the fence (as of April 2026) to access the farm road and the fields. By car it’s possible to access the farm road from the north via Yongxinghe Rd. Once there its possible to stay at two farm roads, depending on the angle you prefer.

WHAT	Arrivals on runway 17R.

TIME	From afternoon until sunset.

MISC.	Remote place and no amenities nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	A330 = 100mm

	Spot #5 – Fields – 35L arrivals
WHERE	The location is right next to the threshold of runway 35L. Access is by car only from the south via X002. From there continue north on the farm roads as marked on the map. It’s a dirt road which can be very muddy after it rains. Once there you have two options. For the approach stay on the dirt road, Spot 5A. Further north and closer to the fence there is a hill next to the touchdown zone, Spot 5B.

WHAT	Arrivals on runway 35L only. Spot 5B has the problem of the bird nets crossing along the poles which can be seem in the overview pics below. They are impossible to avoid and they will be on the aircraft. They are thin and maybe you won’t see them on your pics but if you zoom you will see this line across the fuselage. This is a very nice and close spot but maybe not the best for taking photos.

TIME	From afternoon until sunset.

MISC.	Remote place and no amenities nearby. Impossible to reach if it rained the days before, everything will be muddy.

FOCAL LENGTH	5A: A333/A350 = 120mm; B737-800 = 200mm 5B: A333/A350 = 60mm; B737-800 = 100mm

Spot 5A “Approach”

Spot 5B “Touchdown”

Both spots are visible in this video

	Spot #6 – Mound – 17R/35L all movements
WHERE	There is a big elevated hill south of the maintenance ramp/hangars and right next to runway 17R/35L along the perimeter fence. There are two options to reach this area. First is from the south, just take the same direction as described above but continue on the farm tracks northwards as marked on the map. Another and easier option is from the north via Hangwei St, which runs parallel to the maintenance hangars/ramp. Drive till the end where you can park. The road is fenced off but there might be a gap which you can pass (last time of our visit, February 2025, there was). Continue by foot for 5-10 minutes on the path until the location.

WHAT	All movements on runway 17R/35L. 6A is best for ground movements due its proximity to the runway, especially 35L arrivals. Be careful that every aircraft might take a different taxiway to vacate runway and so the possibility of a good and clean photo might vary. You are shooting between poles with bird nets along them, in some taxiways you might have the aircraft always covered by them and you will see a line on the fuselage in your photos. Spot 6B more far away from the runways and it is good for 17R arrivals and departures on 35R. 35L arrivals will vacate before this spot and 6A is the better option. Aircraft parked on the ramp in front of the hangars can be spotted too from spot 6B.

TIME	From afternoon until sunset.

MISC.	Position is elevated so no ladder is needed at both spots. No amenities nearby. 6A you are on a hill as high as the fence, you have to walk over it a bit to find the highest spot to avoid the fence. There are poles with nets along the runway which might ruin you photos (see Hebei 737 sample photo). Some heat haze on 6A in hotter days if they vacate via a far taxiway. Huge problems from 6B due to distance instead, but the height of the aircraft might help.

FOCAL LENGTH	6A: A350 = 110mm; A321N = 120mm (it depends on which taxiway they use, for the sample pics below). For departures 300-400mm 6B: 400mm, even more (really far away)

Spot 6A

Spot 6B

	Spot #7 – Fields – 01L arrivals
WHERE	The spot is at a dead end road farm road. Access is only by car from the south via X002 and X017. From latter drive northwards and turn left as marked on the map. Continue eastwards till the end of the road.

WHAT	Arrivals on runway 01L only.

TIME	From afternoon until sunset.

MISC.	Very remote location. No amenities nearby.

FOCAL LENGTH	Xiamen Air B787-300mm;China United B737-300mm;

	Spot #8 – Mound – 01L/19R all movements
WHERE	The location is on a hill on the east of runway 01L/19R. Access is only by car from the village Nanwanglicun 南王力村 Guangyang, Langfang, Hebeifollowing. From there cross the channel and continue westwards until the airport fence and a small hill where you can park and spot from. It’s a dirt road which can be very muddy after it rains.

WHAT	Almost in the middle of the runway so all movements on runway 01L/19R can be seen.

TIME	From sunrise until early noon. Heat distortion can pop up.

MISC.	Elevated position, no ladder needed. No any public facilities here. Only a village near by could offer some goods or meal in the stores.

FOCAL LENGTH	JD Express,Juneyao Air-140mm

	Spot #9 – Fields – 11 departures
WHERE	There are plenty of options for the 11 departures. Access is only by car from the east via Wuyu Xian Rd/武榆线. Turn into the farm road as marked on the map and continue until the parking portion as marked on the map. Just find your preferred spot in this area along the farm roads and fields, depending on the angle and heat distortion. There are ongoing construction works for a new road systems so situation will change.

WHAT	Departures on runway 11.

TIME	From sunrise to sunset in the Winter. From 9am to sunset in Summer. Around noon there will be visible heat distortion.

MISC.	No ladder needed. No public facilities here. Only a village near by(Xinglongzhuang Village/兴隆庄村). No security issues.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-300mm