British Airways flights from Heathrow moving to Beijing's new airport

British Airways announced Wednesday that all direct flights between London Heathrow Airport and Beijing will shift from Capital Airport to the new Daxing International Airport starting October 27, making it the first overseas carrier to move its Beijing base to the new airport.

Flights from London to Daxing are available for purchase from British Airways starting Thursday. The first round-trip flight between the two airports is scheduled for October 27.

Finn Air has previously announced that it will operate three flights a week from the new airport. And LOT Polish Airlines has also announced the start of a daily flight from Warsaw to Daxing starting on October 28.

According to a press statement from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the new airport will support an increase in the number of international flights to and from China's capital by both domestic and overseas carriers. The authority says that overseas carriers have the option of operating flights from both Capital Airport and Daxing Airport, but if they shift flights to the new airport they can benefit from improved flight scheduling.

When the new airport opens, it will have the capacity to handle 82 million passengers a year. By 2040, its capacity is expected to have expanded so that it can handle up to 100 million passengers a year.