Etihad Airways will move its operations in China to the state-of-the-art Beijing Daxing International Airport from June.

The move will involve all flights to and from Abu Dhabi and Beijing, as well as departures to and from Beijing to Nagoya, Japan.

Robin Kamark, Etihad Aviation Group chief commercial officer, said: “In October last year, Abu Dhabi Airports inked a sister-airport partnership with Beijing Daxing International Airport, which will strengthen the capital-to-capital link.

“Today, we are proud to announce that Etihad Airways will be one of the first airlines in the region to move to Beijing’s iconic Daxing International Airport.

“Since launching flights between Beijing and Abu Dhabi 12 years ago, we have experienced huge growth in China’s tourism and aviation markets, and enjoyed strong demand from business and leisure travellers, and cargo, assisted by direct services, codeshare partners, the mutual visa-exemption policy between the two nations implemented in January 2018, and the great joint efforts put into promoting bi-directional routes.

“The move also further reinforces our commitment to the China market and our Chinese guests, and contributes to the promising bilateral relationship.”

He added: “While the spread of Covid-19 has posed a major challenge for all airlines serving China, with a massive drop in demand on key routes, we remain optimistic that the situation will improve by the summer and we continue serving Beijing from Abu Dhabi presently, demonstrating our unwavering support and commitment to our Chinese partners and the China market as a whole.”

The daily flights will continue to be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The new Zaha Hadid-designed aviation hub, is the largest single-structure airport terminal and integrated transportation hub, projected to reach a network of 28 cities in China, home to 202 million people, by high speed train within three hours.

The terminal’s major rail transportation links include high-speed rail, inter-city, and subway connections, providing Etihad’s customers with greater air-rail connectivity across China, enabling a reduction in the carbon footprint of domestic connecting travel through the capital.