Beijing's brand new Daxing International Airport opened to flights as a China Southern Airlines flight took off on Wednesday afternoon.

The maiden flight served between Beijing and Guangzhou in south China. Following it, Six other Chinese airlines started their respective first flight via the new airport.

Located 46 km south to downtown Beijing, the new aviation hub is shaped like a phoenix spreading its wings. Its passenger throughput and cargo throughput are expected to reach 72 million and 2 million tonnes respectively by 2025, with 620,000 takeoffs and landings.

It only takes a passenger eight minutes to walk from the center of the terminal building to the furthest departure gate.

Zeng Qingwei, a passenger taking China Eastern Airlines' first flight at the new airport, said it took him one minute to complete the check-in process with baggage.

"The automated check-in with facial recognition is very convenient," said the passenger leaving for Shanghai.

J. Russ Fortson, managing director of Asia Pacific for American Airlines, attended the Daxing airport's opening.

"I've been around airports for over 30 years and I can't recall seeing such an impressive facility," said Fortson.

Zhang Tao, the maiden flight pilot, said prior to the service that he has worked as a pilot for 30 years, witnessing Chinese airports grow from simple beginnings to this massive aviation hub.

"The change represents a great advancement in the national strength," said Zhang.

Aviation hub

The new airport emerges as a pivotal air traffic hub for international travel to and from China as the country is poised to become the world's largest civil aviation market around the mid-2020s.

Liu Chunchen, director of the airport department of China Civil Aviation Administration, said the combined passenger handling capacity of the Daxing airport and the Beijing Capital International Airport in the northeast of the city will exceed 250 million in the future.