Hi all,

Apart from a trip to China in 2016, I’m particularly weak when it comes to spotting in Asia and now was the time to start putting that right. The grand plan was to bash major hubs in China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, meaning Beijing/Daxing, Beijing/Capital, Taipei/Taoyuan, Taipei/Songshan, Tokyo/Narita, Tokyo/Haneda, Seoul/Gimpo, Seoul/Incheon, Shanghai/Pudong & Shanghai/Hongqiao. Of course most of these places require you to be at them for more than one day to give you a reasonable chance of seeing the majority of the home team, and so this was to be an 18 day trip.

Last time I did China, I went down the expensive and time consuming multi entry visa route but this time I made use of the transit without visa (TWOV) system that they now also have – reports from that 2016 trip can be see at – https://www.oxfordaviationgroup.co.uk/past-tours/

 

Friday 18th October 2024

Heathrow

The group met up at Terminal 4, where it was a fairly painless process to check-in with China Southern for our flight to Beijing/Daxing. I assume that check-in online was not an option as we were non-nationals and check-in staff would need to check that we had the appropriate visa or paperwork, before they would let us board the flight. Once they clocked that a Chinese visa was not present in my passport, it was time too inform them that I was using the TWOV system instead. They then checked that I had a confirmed flight out of Beijing and onwards to a third country, and also proof of booked accommodation in Beijing. So it took longer to check-in than usual, but it what it is. The TWOV doesn’t cost anything and you can stay up to 144 hours before leaving for your next country. I did check before booking my flights, that UK-China-Taiwan was an acceptable route for TWOV, bearing in mind that the Chinese Government don’t formally recognise Taiwan as a separate country or even as a special administrative area (SAR) like Macau and Hong Kong.

Our stead was to be a fairly new China Southern Airlines A350 on flight callsign CSN674. Flight time to Beijing/Daxing was 9 hours and 33 minutes……..

B-20C6, Boeing 787 9, China Southern Airlines (63985)
B-32FR, Airbus A350 941, China Southern Airlines (626)
B-1083, Airbus A350 941, Air China (217)
EI-KGF, Airbus A321 271NXSL, Air Astana (10427)
HL7632, Boeing 747 8B5, Korean Air (40907)
SX-NES, Airbus A320 271NSL, Aegean Airlines (12094)

Beijing/Daxing

On arrival at Daxing, we quickly found ourselves in a strangely quiet Arrivals Hall. Head to the desks on the left marked “Temporary Entry Permit Application” and nearby you will see the blue/white arrival cards that need filling in before going to the desk. Once at the desk, you will again have to show that you have proof of a confirmed flight booking out within the duration of TWOV that you require – the maximum is 144 hours but 24 hour and 74 hour ones are available too. Some of the group were asked about proof of accommodation too. More info about visa options for visiting China below…..

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china/entry-requirements

https://www.csair.com/en/tourguide/transit_flow/flightsTwo_hub/72_hour_stay/

To get to our chosen hotel, I went to a information desk and showed them the booking that I had. They rang the hotel for me and a shuttle was requested. The information desk staff then gave instructions about which outside level to go to and which gate number the hotel shuttle would be at – Level 1, Gate 4 if my notes are correct. This process took no more than 10 minutes and we were underway with the hotel just a five minute drive away. More about the hotel on the next day’s report……..

B-220S, Boeing 737NG 86N/W, 9 Air (41257)
B-8890, Airbus A320 271NSL, Air China (7899)
B-1220, Boeing 737MAX 8, Air China (60899)
B-1764, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (41105)
B-1767, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (41109)
B-1909, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (40022)
B-1945, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (41094)
B-1975, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (41323)
B-1977, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (41099)
B-1978, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (41324)
B-5422, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (36741)
B-6106, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (44924)
B-5485, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Beijing Airlines (36747)
B-5486, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Beijing Airlines (36748)
B-6416, Airbus A319 133, Capital Airlines (4529)
B-1691, Airbus A320 232SL, Capital Airlines (6580)
B-1249, Airbus A320 251NSL, Capital Airlines (7952)
B-8543, Airbus A321 231SL, Capital Airlines (7173)
B-6010, Airbus A320 214, China Eastern Airlines (2221)
B-6370, Airbus A320 214, China Eastern Airlines (3559)
B-6870, Airbus A320 214, China Eastern Airlines (4844)
B-8563, Airbus A320 214SL, China Eastern Airlines (7712)
B-6715, Airbus A320 232, China Eastern Airlines (4355)
B-1835, Airbus A320 232SL, China Eastern Airlines (5942)
B-6930, Airbus A320 232SL, China Eastern Airlines (5242)
B-9975, Airbus A320 232SL, China Eastern Airlines (5711)
B-304C, Airbus A320 251NSL, China Eastern Airlines (8488)
B-308X, Airbus A320 251NSL, China Eastern Airlines (9205)
B-30ES, Airbus A320 251NSL, China Eastern Airlines (9449)
B-30FD, Airbus A320 251NSL, China Eastern Airlines (9464)
B-329M, Airbus A320 251NSL, China Eastern Airlines (10782)
B-329N, Airbus A320 251NSL, China Eastern Airlines (10776)
B-32C2, Airbus A320 251NSL, China Eastern Airlines (10918)
B-32CX, Airbus A320 251NSL, China Eastern Airlines (11109)
B-2420, Airbus A321 211, China Eastern Airlines (2895)
B-6331, Airbus A321 211, China Eastern Airlines (3249)
B-6345, Airbus A321 211, China Eastern Airlines (3471)
B-6367, Airbus A321 211, China Eastern Airlines (3612)
B-8232, Airbus A321 211SL, China Eastern Airlines (6762)
B-8406, Airbus A321 211SL, China Eastern Airlines (7130)
B-8567, Airbus A321 211SL, China Eastern Airlines (7759)
B-8575, Airbus A321 211SL, China Eastern Airlines (7306)
B-8977, Airbus A321 211SL, China Eastern Airlines (7586)
B-1858, Airbus A321 231SL, China Eastern Airlines (6305)
B-9971, Airbus A321 231SL, China Eastern Airlines (5770)
B-8970, Airbus A330 343E, China Eastern Airlines (1798)
B-5276, Boeing 737NG 79P/W, China Eastern Airlines (39719)
B-5809, Boeing 737NG 79P/W, China Eastern Airlines (39729)
B-5816, Boeing 737NG 79P/W, China Eastern Airlines (39310)
B-5821, Boeing 737NG 79P/W, China Eastern Airlines (39737)
B-6142, Boeing 737NG 79P/W, China Eastern Airlines (39747)
B-1253, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China Eastern Airlines (63055)
B-1449, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China Eastern Airlines (61689)
B-1537, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China Eastern Airlines (41499)
B-5527, Boeing 737NG 89P/W, China Eastern Airlines (36771)
B-6147, Boeing 737NG 89P/W, China Eastern Airlines (41471)
B-7875, Boeing 737NG 89P/W, China Eastern Airlines (41494)
B-919E, Comac C919, China Eastern Airlines (00010)
B-6253, Airbus A320 214, China Southern Airlines (2511)
B-6283, Airbus A320 214, China Southern Airlines (2834)
B-6291, Airbus A320 214, China Southern Airlines (2915)
B-6623, Airbus A320 214, China Southern Airlines (4205)
B-6775, Airbus A320 214, China Southern Airlines (4613)
B-1802, Airbus A320 232, China Southern Airlines (5837)
B-6651, Airbus A320 232, China Southern Airlines (4260)
B-6652, Airbus A320 232, China Southern Airlines (4290)
B-6786, Airbus A320 232, China Southern Airlines (4782)
B-1801, Airbus A320 232SL, China Southern Airlines (6018)
B-1828, Airbus A320 232SL, China Southern Airlines (6078)
B-30EZ, Airbus A320 251NSL, China Southern Airlines (9535)
B-8639, Airbus A321 211SL, China Southern Airlines (7250)
B-8676, Airbus A321 211SL, China Southern Airlines (7424)
B-8997, Airbus A321 211SL, China Southern Airlines (8054)
B-1846, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (6211)
B-1847, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (6233)
B-1848, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (6241)
B-6317, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (3217)
B-6353, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (3552)
B-6578, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (3934)
B-6625, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (4184)
B-6630, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (4230)
B-6686, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (4387)
B-6913, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (5237)
B-9933, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (5736)
B-9960, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (5890)
B-30E5, Airbus A321 253NXSL, China Southern Airlines (9288)
B-30EX, Airbus A321 253NXSL, China Southern Airlines (9472)
B-321Z, Airbus A321 253NXSL, China Southern Airlines (10214)
B-323F, Airbus A321 253NXSL, China Southern Airlines (10228)
B-324P, Airbus A321 253NXSL, China Southern Airlines (10396)
B-327H, Airbus A321 253NXSL, China Southern Airlines (10864)
B-32CS, Airbus A321 253NXSL, China Southern Airlines (11053)
B-5970, Airbus A330 323E, China Southern Airlines (1645)
B-300U, Airbus A330 343E, China Southern Airlines (1894)
B-8361, Airbus A330 343E, China Southern Airlines (1814)
B-324S, Airbus A350 941, China Southern Airlines (478)
B-32AV, Airbus A350 941, China Southern Airlines (512)
B-32CQ, Airbus A350 941, China Southern Airlines (568)
B-32EE, Airbus A350 941, China Southern Airlines (619)
B-1241, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China Southern Airlines (63262)
B-1413, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China Southern Airlines (63236)
B-1585, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China Southern Airlines (63242)
B-5020, Boeing 737NG 81B, China Southern Airlines (32926)
B-5300, Boeing 737NG 81B, China Southern Airlines (35375)
B-1782, Boeing 737NG 81B/W, China Southern Airlines (41333)
B-5596, Boeing 737NG 81B/W, China Southern Airlines (38964)
B-5676, Boeing 737NG 81B/W, China Southern Airlines (38927)
B-5697, Boeing 737NG 81B/W, China Southern Airlines (38931)
B-5748, Boeing 737NG 81B/W, China Southern Airlines (41302)
B-5768, Boeing 737NG 81B/W, China Southern Airlines (38960)
B-6069, Boeing 737NG 81B/W, China Southern Airlines (41614)
B-7967, Boeing 737NG 81B/W, China Southern Airlines (43888)
B-5598, Boeing 737NG 86J/W, China Southern Airlines (36877)
B-209Y, Boeing 777 300ER, China Southern Airlines (65415)
B-20C5, Boeing 777 300ER, China Southern Airlines (65417)
B-2727, Boeing 787 8, China Southern Airlines (34925)
B-1147, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63064)
B-1148, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63068)
B-1262, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63059)
B-1277, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63061)
B-1278, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63060)
B-1279, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63058)
B-1281, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63054)
B-1311, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63051)
B-1425, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (61686)
B-1572, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (61685)
B-208Z, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63084)
B-209F, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63079)
B-20A1, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63087)
B-20AD, Boeing 737NG 800/W, China United Airlines (63091)
B-1523, Boeing 737NG 89P/W, China United Airlines (39742)
B-1990, Boeing 737NG 89P/W, China United Airlines (39736)
B-7371, Boeing 737NG 89P/W, China United Airlines (61314)
B-4091, Airbus A319 115, Chinese Air Force (5088)
B-1158, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Hebei Airlines (42979)
B-1258, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Hebei Airlines (42978)
B-1366, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Hebei Airlines (42977)
B-1445, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Hebei Airlines (42973)
B-1447, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Hebei Airlines (42975)
B-1912, Boeing 737NG 85C/W, Hebei Airlines (39908)
B-5459, Boeing 737NG 85C/W, Hebei Airlines (35057)
B-606R, Gulfstream Aerospace G550, Mandarin Air (5585)
B-328Y, Airbus A320 271NSL, Qingdao Airlines (10749)
B-1265, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Shanghai Airlines (63065)
B-6352, Airbus A320 214, Shenzhen Airlines (3383)
B-306Z, Airbus A320 251NSL, Spring Airlines (8815)
B-32CU, Airbus A321 251NXSL, XiamenAir (11190)
B-32DQ, Airbus A321 251NXSL, XiamenAir (11318)
B-32F3, Airbus A321 251NXSL, XiamenAir (11486)
B-5458, Boeing 737NG 85C/W, XiamenAir (35055)
B-5476, Boeing 737NG 85C/W, XiamenAir (35056)
B-5632, Boeing 737NG 85C/W, XiamenAir (38388)
B-5382, Boeing 737NG 86N/W, XiamenAir (36540)
B-2762, Boeing 787 8, XiamenAir (41542)
B-2763, Boeing 787 8, XiamenAir (41543)

 

Inbound to Beijing/Capital:

Once you get your bearings and as long as the weather and visibility allow, you should also see lots of Capital inbounds, if they are landing from the South. The weather was beautiful today, so running out of daylight was the thing that stopped play on those.

B-309R, Airbus A320 271NSL, Air China (9029)
B-6605, Airbus A321 213, Air China (4091)
B-6632, Airbus A321 213, Air China (4221)
B-325N, Airbus A321 251NXSL, Air China (10515)
B-326D, Airbus A321 251NXSL, Air China (10351)
B-5933, Airbus A330 243, Air China (1471)
B-6117, Airbus A330 243, Air China (903)
B-5947, Airbus A330 343E, Air China (1538)
B-5957, Airbus A330 343E, Air China (1570)
B-308C, Airbus A350 941, Air China (295)
B-32DM, Airbus A350 941, Air China (587)
B-1396, Boeing 737MAX 8, Air China (60953)
B-20DR, Boeing 737MAX 8, Air China (60925)
B-5043, Boeing 737NG 79L, Air China (33408)
B-5202, Boeing 737NG 79L/W, Air China (34537)
B-1956, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (40024)
B-5500, Boeing 737NG 89L/W, Air China (36752)
B-1266, Boeing 777 300ER, Air China (65300)
B-2032, Boeing 777 39LER, Air China (38671)
B-5969, Airbus A330 343E, China Eastern Airlines (1595)
B-8968, Airbus A330 343E, China Eastern Airlines (1788)
B-323H, Airbus A350 941, China Eastern Airlines (452)
B-6581, Airbus A321 231, China Southern Airlines (3981)
B-32FS, Airbus A321 253NXSL, China Southern Airlines (11596)
B-5196, Boeing 737NG 86N, Dalian Airlines (36810)
B-1103, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Hainan Airlines (44400)
B-1491, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Hainan Airlines (63613)
B-1495, Boeing 737NG 800/W, Hainan Airlines (63614)
B-1725, Boeing 737NG 84P/W, Hainan Airlines (38147)
B-5135, Boeing 737NG 84P/W, Hainan Airlines (32603)
B-7639, Boeing 737NG 86N/W, Hainan Airlines (60691)
B-6788, Airbus A320 214, Juneyao Air (4652)
B-8961, Airbus A321 211SL, Sichuan Airlines (7498)
B-300V, Airbus A330 343E, Sichuan Airlines (1885)
B-8260, Gulfstream Aerospace G550 (5373)
B-HPN, Airbus A321 251NXSL, Cathay Pacific Airways (11009)
OE-IFM, Boeing 747 4KZF, ASL Airlines Belgium (36785)

On airways:
B-6180, Airbus A319 132, Capital Airlines (3578)
B-5475, Boeing 737NG 89P/W, China Eastern Airlines (36765)
B-32E8, Airbus A320 271NSL, China Express Airlines (11285)
B-6737, Airbus A320 214, China Southern Airlines (4456)
B-303H, Airbus A321 253NSL, China Southern Airlines (8425)
B-5252, Boeing 737NG 71B/W, China Southern Airlines (35382)
B-1560, Boeing 737NG 8LW/W, Hebei Airlines (42969)
B-8327, Airbus A320 214SL, Spring Airlines (6846)

Photograph credits: Grant Robinson

Best regards,

Grant Robinson
http://www.oxfordaviationgroup.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/oxfordaviationgroup
https://www.flickr.com/photos/62861611@N08/albums