In 2016, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Civil Aviation Administration designated the region as a national-level demonstration zone for airport economic development, marking the first and only cross-provincial airport economic zone in the country.
The NDRC issued the "Beijing New Airport Economic Zone Plan (2016-2020)", a top-level design document guiding the construction and development of the region, outlining its three major strategic positions: an international communication center, a national aviation technology innovation-leading area, and a demonstration area for the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
Subsequently, the Beijing and Langfang municipal governments approved a unified version of the "Overall Plan". The core development area of the airport economic zone is clearly defined as 150 square kilometers, including the service support area, the aviation logistics area, and the technology innovation area, with Beijing planning an area of 50 square kilometers and Langfang planning an area of 100 square kilometers.
The planning adheres to the principles of air economic circle development, creating favorable conditions for the sustainable development of the airport economic zone. A total control area of 1,028 square kilometers has been designated around the airport economic zone, clarifying the spatial layout of the "large airport economic" area as "airport + economic zone + overall control area".
In September 2019, the Beijing and Langfang governments approved a unified version of the "Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone Master Plan (2019-2035)". This plan emphasizes coordination, overall planning, setting targets, and leaving space, providing a foundation for subsequent planning and construction in the zone.
It promotes regional coordinated development, unified planning, and fully implements the new development concept. The plan also strategically reserves space for future national strategic development and international functional reserves.
Building on the overarching requirements of the "Beijing New Airport Economic Zone Plan (2016-2020)" and the "Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone Master Plan (2019-2035)" and in alignment with related initiatives in Beijing and Hebei, Daxing district and Langfang city have undertaken the development of detailed control plans for their respective areas within the airport economic zone, along with various specialized plans. These efforts have resulted in the formulation of three detailed plans. These plans address a wide range of aspects including industrial development, urban design, comprehensive transportation, ecological construction, comprehensive energy, comprehensive water strategy, municipal infrastructure and comprehensive pipe corridors, sponge cities, smart cities, and underground space development and utilization.
In 2023, a three-year action plan has been formulated and issued, systematically outlining the development goals and main tasks for the next three years, coordinate and guide the overall advancement of the regional high-quality integrated development, and strive to establish a demonstration area for the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
The management system and mechanism are the core of the integrated and high-quality development of the airport economic zone, and they provide organizational guarantees to ensure the implementation of the development goals of the airport economic zone plan.
The "Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone Master Plan (2019-2035)” clearly proposes the innovative, forward-thinking, and leading work requirements of "breaking the mindset of development according to administrative divisions, and treating the airport economic zone as a whole, taking the lead in organizing institutions, development, and construction models" and "jointly establishing a simplified, unified, and efficient administrative management system adapted to the construction and development of the airport economic zone, and establishing the management institution of the zone" in the aspects of organization and development models.
Since 2013, Beijing and Hebei have been researching cross-provincial administrative management systems in the zone. To enhance coordination and establish a collaborative management approach, officials from Beijing and Hebei have conducted investigations and proposed working principles, aiming for unified leadership, planning, standards, control, and assessment. This has led to the development of a system combining centralized management with decentralized implementation.