---
title: "PKX is which airport? Beijing"
description: "PKX is Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing, China. Why the code is PKX and not something you could guess, plus the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/pkx/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is PKX?

**PKX is: Beijing Daxing International Airport**

Beijing, China

## Why the code is PKX

PeKing plus X, deliberately echoing PEK.

This is the explanation in general circulation and it is very likely right, but no primary document has been published that settles it. Treated as an account rather than a fact.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** PKX
- **ICAO code:** ZBAD
- **Airport:** Beijing Daxing International Airport
- **City:** Beijing, China
- **Opened:** 2019
- **Code origin:** The usual account, unverified

Daxing's terminal, by Zaha Hadid Architects, is a single starfish-shaped building with six piers radiating from a central hub, designed so no gate is more than eight minutes' walk from the centre. It is among the largest single terminal buildings in the world.

## The other code, ZBAD

Every airport has two codes. The three-letter IATA code, PKX, is the one on your boarding pass and your luggage tag, and it is assigned for commercial use. The four-letter ICAO code, ZBAD, is the one pilots and controllers use, and it is assigned geographically: the first letter or two identify the region, so every airport in the same part of the world shares a prefix. That is why ZBAD looks nothing like PKX.

## Common questions

### What airport is PKX?

Beijing Daxing International Airport, in Beijing, China.

### Why is Beijing's airport called PKX?

PeKing plus X, deliberately echoing PEK.

### What is the difference between PKX and ZBAD?

PKX is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. ZBAD is the ICAO code, used operationally by pilots and air traffic control, and assigned geographically by region.

## Related pages

- [China](https://atoneplace.net/country/china/)
- [The flag of China](https://atoneplace.net/flag/china/)
- [Airport codes in China](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/china/)
- [What airport is PEK?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/pek/)
- [What airport is PVG?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/pvg/)

## Sources

- OurAirports — OurAirports (https://ourairports.com/data/) [Public domain]