BEIJING -- As of Thursday, the number of international passenger trips handled by Beijing Daxing International Airport has exceeded 4 million this year, doubling the figure for the same period last year, according to the immigration inspection station at the airport.

"Daxing airport reached the milestone 47 days ahead of schedule," said Wu Nan with the inspection station.

The surge in passenger volume is attributed to a recovering tourism market, the implementation of visa-free policies, and an increase in international exchange activities, Wu added.

Statistics show that as of Nov 13, the station had processed 452,000 trips of foreign travelers, more than three times last year's figure. Among these, over 142,000 inbound foreign traveler trips were made under visa-free policies, while 46,000 utilized 144-hour transit visa-free services.

Daxing airport operates flights to 43 destinations across 25 countries and regions in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, with plans to further expand its international airline network.