Beijing Capital International Airport

"Beijing Airport" redirects here. For the secondary airport of Beijing, see Beijing Nanyuan Airport.

Beijing Capital International Airport 北京首都国际机场 Běijīng Shǒudū Guójì Jīchǎng
File:Beijing CAH.png
IATA: PEK ICAO: ZBAA WMO: 54511
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Beijing Capital International Airport Company Limited
Serves	Beijing
Location	Chaoyang-Shunyi
Hub for	Air China China Eastern Airlines China Southern Airlines Hainan Airlines
Focus city for	S7 Airlines Shandong Airlines Shenzhen Airlines
Elevation AMSL	116 ft / 35 m
Website	en.bcia.com.cn
Map
PEK Location in China
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 18L/36R 3,810 12,500 Asphalt 18R/36L 3,445 11,302 Asphalt 01/19 3,810 12,500 Concrete
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 90,130,390 Aircraft movements 581,773 Tonnes of cargo 1,831,167 Economic & social impact $6.5 billion & 571.7 thousand
Statistics from Airports Council International, China's busiest airports by passenger traffic

Beijing Capital International Airport
Traditional Chinese	北京首都國際機場
Simplified Chinese	北京首都国际机场
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Běijīng Shǒudū Guójì Jīchǎng Wu Romanization Poh平 cin平 Seu入 tu平 Koh平 ji上 Ji平 zaan去 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Baak1 ging1 Sau2 dou1 Gwok3 zai3 Gei1 coeng4 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Pak-kiann Siú-tou Kok-chè Ki-tiûnn

Beijing Airports

Beijing Capital International Airport (IATA: PEK, ICAO: ZBAA) is the main international airport serving Beijing. It is located 32 km (20 mi) northeast of Beijing's city center, in an enclave of Chaoyang District and the surroundings of that enclave in suburban Shunyi District. The airport is owned and operated by the Beijing Capital International Airport Company Limited, a state-controlled company. The airport's IATA Airport code, PEK, is based on the city's former romanized name, Peking.

Beijing Capital International Airport is the main hub for Air China, the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China, which flies to around 120 destinations (excluding cargo) from Beijing. China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and China Southern Airlines also use the airport as their hub.

Beijing Capital added Terminal 3 in 2008 in time for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the second largest airport terminal in the world after Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3, and the sixth largest building in the world by area. Beijing Capital International Airport covers 1,480 hectares (3,700 acres) of land.

Beijing Capital has rapidly ascended in rankings of the world's busiest airports in the past decade. It had become the busiest airport in Asia in terms of passenger traffic and total traffic movements by 2009. It has been the world's second busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic since 2010. The airport registered 557,167 aircraft movements (take-offs and landings), ranking 6th in the world in 2012. In terms of cargo traffic, Beijing airport has also witnessed rapid growth. By 2012, the airport had become the 13th busiest airport in the world by cargo traffic, registering 1,787,027 tonnes.

History

The Capital Airport in 1959

U.S. President Richard Nixon's Air Force One at the Capital Airport in 1972.

Beijing Airport was opened on 2 March 1958. The airport then consisted of one small terminal building, which still stands to this day, apparently for the use of VIPs and charter flights. On 1 January 1980, a newer, larger Terminal 1 – green in colour – opened, with docks for 10 to 12 aircraft. The terminal was larger than the one built in the 1950s, but by the mid-1990s, its size became relatively inadequate.

The first International flight to China and Beijing Capital International Airport was of Pakistan International Airlines from Islamabad.

In late 1999, to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, the airport experienced a new round of expansion as Terminal 2 opened on 1 November of that year. Terminal 1 was then temporarily closed for renovation after the opening of Terminal 2. 20 September 2004 saw the opening of a renovated Terminal 1, which at that time solely handled China Southern Airlines' domestic and international flights from Beijing. Other airlines' domestic and international flights still operated in Terminal 2.

Another round of expansion started in 2007. A third runway opened on 29 October 2007, to relieve congestion on the other two runways. Terminal 3 (T3) was completed in February 2008, in time for the Beijing Olympics. This colossal expansion also included a rail link to the city-center. At its opening, the new Terminal 3 was the largest man made structure in the world in terms of area covered, and a major landmark representing Beijing as the growing and developing Chinese capital. The expansion was largely funded by a 30 billion yen loan from Japan and a 500-million-euro (USD 625 million) loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The loan is the largest ever granted by the EIB in Asia; the agreement was signed during the eighth China-EU Summit held in September 2005.

Fresh from hosting the 2008 Olympic Games and adding its new terminal building, Beijing Capital has overtaken Tokyo Haneda to be the busiest airport in Asia based on scheduled seat capacity.

Due to limited capacity at Beijing Capital International Airport, a new airport in Daxing is being planned. The project was given final approval on 13 January 2013. Construction began in late 2014 and is expected to be completed in 2018. It is not yet clear how flights will be divided between the two airports; a possible plan is that all airlines of the SkyTeam airline alliance are to move to the new airport.

Terminals

Ground view of Terminals 1 (foreground) and Terminal 2 (with blue roof, in background) in 2005. Terminal 2's air traffic control tower in the background has since been demolished

Terminal 1

Terminal 1, with 60,000 m² (650,000 sq ft) of space, opened on 1 January 1980, and replaced the smaller existing terminal which had been in operation since 1958. Terminal 1 was closed for renovation from 1999 to 20 September 2004, during which all airlines operated from Terminal 2. Featuring 16 gates, it was the operational base for the domestic routes of China Southern Airlines and a few other airlines such as Xiamen Airlines and Chongqing Airlines, and was originally planned to handle domestic traffic excluding those to Hong Kong and Macau.

With the opening of Terminal 3, the terminal was closed for light refurbishment, and its airlines were moved to Terminal 2 on 20 May 2008. Terminal 1 reopened for a second time on 27 June 2008, and became the operational base for all domestic flights operated by the HNA Group including those of Hainan Airlines, Grand China Air, Beijing Capital Airlines and Tianjin Airlines, while all HNA Group's international flights as well as those to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan remain in Terminal 2.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 interior

Terminal 2 opened on 1 November 1999, with a floor area of 336,000 m² (3,620,000 sq ft). This terminal was used to replace Terminal 1 while the latter was undergoing renovation, cramping all airlines despite being far bigger than Terminal 1. It can handle twenty aircraft at docks connecting directly to the terminal building. Prior to the opening of Terminal 3, all international flights (and the majority of the domestic flights) operated from this terminal. This terminal now houses China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Skyteam, Air Koryo, and other domestic and international flights other than those operated by Air China, Shanghai Airlines, Star Alliance members and Oneworld members. A gate capable of handling the A380 (gate 21) was also built at the terminal.

Terminals 1 and 2 are linked by a public walkway that it takes about 10–15 minutes to traverse. Shuttle buses connect all three terminals.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3-E from airfield and Air China planes parked at the terminal.

An Etihad Airways A330, a British Airways Boeing 747, a Finnair Airbus A330, and 2 Air China A330s being parked at Terminal 3.

Exterior of Terminal 3, designed for Star Alliance airlines colocation.

International check-in, Terminal 3

Duty-free shops

A model of an ancient Chinese armilliary sphere in Terminal 3.

Airport Express train station inside the Terminal 3 Transportation Centre

Exterior of the Terminal 3 Transportation Centre

Construction of Terminal 3 started on 28 March 2004, and the terminal opened in two stages. Trial operations commenced on 29 February 2008, when seven airlines including British Airways, El Al Israel Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Shandong Airlines and Sichuan Airlines moved into the terminal. Twenty other airlines followed when the terminal became fully operational on 26 March 2008. Currently, it mainly houses Air China, Oneworld, Star Alliance, and other domestic and international flights which are not operated from Terminal 2. Star Alliance members LOT Polish Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada, Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways International, Singapore Airlines, and Air China use Terminal 3-E as part of the Move Under One Roof program to co-locate alliance members.

Terminal 3 was designed by a consortium of NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants B.V), UK Architect Foster and Partners and ARUP. Lighting was designed by UK lighting architects Speirs and Major Associates. The budget of the expansion is US$3.5 billion. Much larger in size and scale than the other two terminals, Terminal 3 was the largest airport terminal-building complex in the world to be built in a single phase, with 986,000 m² (10,610,000 sq ft) in total floor area at its opening. It features a main passenger terminal (Terminal 3C) and two satellite concourses (Terminal 3D and Terminal 3E), all of them five floors above ground and two underground, with the letters "A and B" omitted to avoid confusion with the existing Terminals 1 and 2. Only two concourses were initially opened, namely Terminal 3C dedicated for domestic flights and Terminal 3E for international flights. Terminal 3D officially opened on 18 April 2013. The newly opened concourse is temporarily used solely by Air China for some of its domestic flights.

Terminal 3 of the BCIA is currently the second-largest airport passenger terminal building in the world. Its title as the world's largest was surrendered on 14 October 2008 to Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3, which has 1,713,000 m² (18,440,000 sq ft) of floor space.

On 20 July 2013, a man in a wheelchair detonated small homemade explosives which exploded in Terminal 3 of the Beijing International Airport. The bomber, reported to be Ji Zhongxing, was injured and taken to a hospital for his injuries. No other people were hurt.

System, security and luggage

Terminal 3 has a 300,000 m² (3,200,000 sq ft) transportation centre with a 7,000-car garage. The transportation centre has designated traffic lanes for airport buses, taxis and private vehicles. Travelers bound for T3 can exit their vehicles and enter T3 within five minutes. There is also a station for the Airport Express Line of the Beijing Subway.

Terminal 3 has 243 elevators, escalators or moving walkways. Each row of seats in the waiting area has electrical outlets. Every restroom has a diaper changing station. There is also a room for travelers with disabilities.

One of Terminal 3's highlights is the US$240 million luggage-transfer system. The luggage system is equipped with yellow carts, each of which has a code that matches the bar code on every piece of luggage loaded and allows easy and accurate tracking. More than 200 cameras are used to monitor activities in the luggage area.

The luggage system can handle 19,200 pieces of luggage per hour. After a luggage is checked in at any of the 292 counters in Terminal 3C, it can be transferred at a speed of ten metres per second. Hence, a luggage can travel from T3C to T3E in five minutes. Arriving passengers should be able to begin retrieving their luggage within 4.5 minutes after airplanes are unloaded.

Besides X-ray scanners, additional equipment are used to conduct baggage screening. Passengers will be able to check in their luggage at the airport from several hours to even a day before their flights. The airport will store the luggage in its luggage system and then load it on the correct aircraft.

Appearance

Triangular windows visible through ceiling strips

The highest building at the airport, A 98.3 m (323 ft) monitoring tower, stands at the southern end of T3. The roof of T3 is red, the Chinese color for good luck. The terminal's ceilings use white strips for decoration and to indicate directions. Under the white strips, the basic color of the ceiling is orange with light to dark tones indicating where a passenger is inside the building. The roof is light orange in the center. The color deepens as the roof extends to the sides in T3E and goes the other way round in T3C.

The roof of T3 has dozens of triangular windows to let in daylight. Light angles can be adjusted to ensure adequate interior lighting. Many traditional Chinese elements will be employed in the terminal's interior decoration, including a "Menhai", a big copper vat used to store water for fighting fires in the Forbidden City, and the carvings imitating the famous Nine-Dragon Wall.

An indoor garden is constructed in the T3E waiting area, in the style of imperial gardens such as the Summer Palace. In T3C, a tunnel landscape of an underground garden has been finished with plants on each side so that passengers can appreciate them inside the mini-train.

Facilities

Children's playground

The T3 food-service area is called a "global kitchen," where 72 stores provide food ranging from formal dishes to fast food, from Chinese to western, and from bakery goods to ice cream. Airport officials have promised that people who buy products at the airport will find the same prices in central Beijing.

In addition to food and beverage areas, there is a 16,200 m² (174,000 sq ft) domestic retail area, a 12,600 m² (136,000 sq ft) duty-free-store area and a nearly 7,200 m² (78,000 sq ft) convenience-service area, which includes banks, business centres, Internet services and more. At 45,200 m² (487,000 sq ft), the commercial area is twice the size of Beijing's Lufthansa Shopping Center.

The terminal provides 72 aerobridges or jetways and is further complemented with remote parking bays which bring the total number of gates to 150. Terminal 3 comes with an additional runway. It increases BCIA's total capacity by 72 million passengers per year to approximately 90 million.

Airbus A380

The intra-terminal people mover train in Terminal 3, which should not be confused with the Airport Express, Beijing Subway, the subway that connects Terminals 2 and 3 to the city.

The terminal has gates and a nearby runway that can handle the Airbus A380. This capability was proven when Singapore Airlines briefly offered A380 flights to Beijing in August 2008 during the Summer Olympics. Emirates airline has started its scheduled daily operation to Dubai as of 1 August 2010. Lufthansa has been using these facilities since October 2010 to handle up to five A380 connections per week. Several other airlines in the near future will operate the A380 out of this terminal, including Malaysia Airlines and British Airways.

Airlines and destinations

The airport has three terminals. Terminal 1 serves the domestic routes of Hainan Airlines and its subsidiaries (while its international routes and Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau flights operate from Terminal 2). Terminal 2 serves China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, SkyTeam members and other domestic and international flights. Terminal 3, the newest terminal, serves Air China, Star Alliance and Oneworld members, and some other domestic and international flights which do not operate from either Terminals 1 or 2.

Passenger

BCIA Terminal 3 building

Terminal 3 Air Control Tower

BCIA Moving walkway connecting T1 And T2 Terminals

Airlines	Destinations	Terminal
Aeroflot	Moscow–Sheremetyevo	2
Aeroflot operated by Aurora	Seasonal: Khabarovsk	2
Air Algérie	Algiers	2
Air Astana	Almaty, Astana	2
Air Canada	Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver	3E
Air China	Baotou, Bayannur, Beihai, Changchun, Changsha, Changzhou, Chaoyang, Chengdu, Chifeng, Chongqing, Dali, Dalian, Dandong, Daqing, Datong, Dazhou, Dunhuang, Fuyang, Fuyuan, Fuzhou, Ganzhou, Guangyuan, Guangzhou, Guilin, Guiyang, Haikou, Hailar, Hami, Hangzhou, Harbin, Hefei, Hohhot, Hotan, Huangshan, Jiamusi, Jieyang, Jingdezhen, Jinggangshan, Jiuzhaigou, Karamay, Kashgar, Korla, Kunming, Lanzhou, Lhasa, Lijiang, Liupanshui, Liuzhou, Mianyang, Mudanjiang, Nanchang, Nanjing, Nanning, Nantong, Ningbo, Ordos, Qingdao, Qiqihar, Sanya, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shanghai–Pudong, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Taiyuan, Taizhou, Tonghua, Tongliao, Ulanhot, Urumqi, Weihai, Wenzhou, Wuhai, Wuhan, Xiamen, Xi'an, Xilinhot, Xining, Yancheng, Yangzhou, Yanji, Yantai, Yibin, Yichang, Yinchuan, Yining, Yiwu, Yuncheng, Zhangjiajie, Zhanjiang, Zhengzhou, Zhuhai, Zunyi Seasonal: Nyingchi	3C, 3D
Air China	Chita2, Fukuoka3, Hiroshima4, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta5, Sendai6	3C
Air China	Addis Ababa, Athens, Auckland, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Barcelona, Budapest, Busan, Chiang Mai, Daegu, Delhi, Dubai–International, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hakodate, Havana, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental, Islamabad, Jeju, Johannesburg–O.R. Tambo, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur–International, London–Heathrow, Los Angeles, Madrid, Manila, Melbourne, Milan–Malpensa, Minsk, Montréal–Trudeau, Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Munich, Nagoya–Centrair, Naha, New York–JFK, Newark, Osaka–Kansai, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Phuket, Pyongyang, Rome–Fiumicino, San Francisco, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Sapporo–Chitose, Seoul–Gimpo, Seoul–Incheon, Siem Reap, Singapore, Stockholm–Arlanda, Sydney, Taipei–Taoyuan, Tokyo–Haneda, Tokyo–Narita, Ulaanbaatar, Vancouver, Vienna, Washington–Dulles, Yangon Seasonal: Colombo, Mumbai	3E
Air China operated by Dalian Airlines	Dalian	3C
Air France	Paris–Charles de Gaulle	2
Air Koryo	Pyongyang	2
Air Leisure	Charter: Aswan, Cairo, Hurghada	3E
Air Macau	Macau	3E
Air Mauritius	Mauritius	3E
Air Seychelles	Mahe	3E
AirAsia X	Kuala Lumpur–International	2
Alitalia	Rome–Fiumicino (resumes 19 July 2016)	2
All Nippon Airways	Osaka–Kansai, Tokyo–Haneda, Tokyo–Narita	3E
American Airlines	Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles (begins 17 December 2016)	3E
Asiana Airlines	Busan, Cheongju, Muan, Seoul–Gimpo, Seoul–Incheon	3E
Austrian Airlines	Vienna	3E
Azerbaijan Airlines	Baku	2
Beijing Capital Airlines	Baotou, Erenhot, Haikou, Hailar, Hangzhou, Hohhot, Jixi, Lijiang, Manzhouli, Sanya, Urumqi, Xiamen, Yichang	1
Beijing Capital Airlines	Cheongju, Malé Charter: Birmingham (begins 22 July 2016), Copenhagen	2
British Airways	London–Heathrow	3E
Cathay Pacific	Hong Kong	3E
Cebu Pacific	Manila	2
China Airlines	Kaohsiung, Taipei–Taoyuan	3E
China Eastern Airlines	Baoshan, Changzhou, Chifeng, Dali, Dalian, Dunhuang, Enshi, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hanzhong, Harbin, Hefei, Huai'an, Jiagedaqi, Jiayuguan, Jining, Kunming, Lanzhou, Lhasa, Lianyungang, Lijiang, Lincang, Linyi, Luoyang, Lüliang, Luzhou, Mangshi, Nanchang, Nanjing, Ningbo, Pu'er, Qianjiang, Qingdao, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shanghai–Pudong, Taiyuan, Tengchong, Wenzhou, Wuhan, Wuxi, Xi'an, Xining, Xishuangbanna, Yantai, Yinchuan, Zhaotong	2
China Eastern Airlines	Asahikawa, Delhi7, Dhaka8, Fukuoka9, Jeju, Nagoya–Centrair10, Naypyidaw11, Osaka–Kansai12, Saipan, Sydney13, Tokyo–Narita14, Vientiane15 Seasonal: Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Denpasar/Bali Charter: Da Nang, Krabi, Siem Reap	2
China Southern Airlines	Anshan, Beihai, Changchun, Changde, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Daqing, Ganzhou, Guangzhou, Guilin, Guiyang, Haikou, Hangzhou, Harbin, Heihe, Huaihua, Jieyang, Korla, Kunming, Mohe, Nanchong, Nanning, Sanya, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Tongren, Urumqi, Wuhan, Xi'an, Xining, Yanji, Yichun, Yinchuan, Yining, Yiwu, Zhangjiajie, Zhengzhou, Zhuhai, Zunyi Seasonal: Changbaishan	2
China Southern Airlines	Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Istanbul–Atatürk16, Phnom Penh17, Seoul–Gimpo, Seoul–Incheon, Tashkent, Tehran–Imam Khomeini18	2
China Southern Airlines operated by Chongqing Airlines	Chongqing, Diqing	2
Delta Air Lines	Detroit, Los Angeles (begins 17 December 2016), Seattle/Tacoma	2
Dragonair	Hong Kong	3E
EgyptAir	Cairo	3E
El Al	Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion	3E
Emirates	Dubai–International	3E
Ethiopian Airlines	Addis Ababa	3E
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi, Nagoya–Centrair	3E
EVA Air	Taipei–Taoyuan	3E
Fiji Airways	Seasonal charter: Nadi	3E
Finnair	Helsinki	3E
Fuzhou Airlines	Fuzhou	1
Garuda Indonesia	Denpasar/Bali, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta	2
Grand China Air	Guilin, Hailar, Harbin, Mudanjiang, Yinchuan	1
Hainan Airlines	Anqing, Baotou, Changchun, Changsha, Changzhi, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Dongying, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Guiyang, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hohhot, Jiamusi, Kunming, Lanzhou, Manzhouli, Nanchang, Nanning, Ningbo, Sanya, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shanghai–Pudong, Shenzhen, Urumqi, Weifang, Wenzhou, Wuhai, Wuhan, Xiamen, Xi'an, Xining, Yan'an, Yichang, Yulin	1
Hainan Airlines	Almaty, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Berlin–Tegel, Boston, Brussels, Calgary (begins 30 June 2016), Chicago–O'Hare, Irkutsk, Manchester (begins 10 June 2016), Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Phuket, Prague, Saint Petersburg, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma, Taipei–Taoyuan, Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion, Tokyo–Haneda, Toronto–Pearson	2
Hawaiian Airlines	Honolulu	3E
Hong Kong Airlines	Hong Kong	2
Iran Air	Tehran–Imam Khomeini	2
Iraqi Airways	Baghdad, Basra	3E
Japan Airlines	Tokyo–Haneda, Tokyo–Narita	3E
Jeju Air	Daegu	2
Juneyao Airlines	Shanghai–Hongqiao	3C
KLM	Amsterdam	2
Korean Air	Busan, Jeju, Seoul–Gimpo, Seoul–Incheon	2
Loong Air	Hangzhou	3C
LOT Polish Airlines	Warsaw–Chopin	3E
Lucky Air	Kunming, Mangshi, Tengchong	1
Lufthansa	Frankfurt, Munich	3E
Mahan Air	Tehran–Imam Khomeini	3E
Malaysia Airlines	Kuala Lumpur–International	3E
Mega Maldives	Malé, Tokyo-Narita	2
MIAT Mongolian Airlines	Ulaanbaatar1	3E
NordStar Airlines	Krasnoyarsk–Yemelyanovo	2
Pakistan International Airlines	Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore，Tokyo–Narita	2
Philippine Airlines	Kalibo, Manila	3E
Qatar Airways	Doha	3E
Qingdao Airlines	Qingdao	3C
S7 Airlines	Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk–Yemelyanovo, Novosibirsk, Ulan-Ude, Vladivostok, Yakutsk	3E
Scandinavian Airlines	Copenhagen	3E
Shandong Airlines	Chongqing, Fuzhou, Jinan, Qingdao, Rizhao, Weihai, Xiamen, Yancheng, Yantai, Yinchuan, Zhuhai	3C
Shanghai Airlines	Hangzhou, Shanghai–Hongqiao	2
Shenzhen Airlines	Nanning, Nantong, Quanzhou, Shenzhen, Wuxi, Xi'an, Xiangyang, Yichun	3C
Shenzhen Airlines	Osaka–Kansai	3E
Sichuan Airlines	Chengdu, Chongqing, Harbin, Kunming, Panzhihua, Sanya, Urumqi, Wanzhou, Xichang, Zhongwei	3C
Singapore Airlines	Singapore	3E
Donghai Airlines	Lanzhou	3C
SriLankan Airlines	Colombo	2
Swiss International Air Lines	Zürich	3E
TAAG Angola Airlines	Luanda	2
Tajik Air	Dushanbe	2
Thai Airways	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi	3E
Tibet Airlines	Lhasa	3C
Turkmenistan Airlines	Ashgabat	2
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul–Atatürk	3E
Ukraine International Airlines	Kiev–Boryspil	2
United Airlines	Chicago–O'Hare, Newark, San Francisco, Washington–Dulles Seasonal charter: Guam	3E
Ural Airlines	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, St Petersburg (begins 30 May 2016), Yekaterinburg	3E
Uzbekistan Airways	Tashkent	2
Vietnam Airlines	Hanoi Seasonal: Nha Trang	2
XiamenAir	Changsha, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Quanzhou, Sanya, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Wuyishan, Xiamen, Zhoushan	2

Notes
^1 MIAT Mongolian flights make Beijing as an intermediate stop en route to and/or from Singapore; however it does not have the traffic rights to carry passengers solely between Beijing and Singapore.
^2 Air China flights have an intermediate stop en route at Hailar to/from Chita. Passengers to/from Chita go through immigration procedure at Hailar.
^3 Air China flights have an intermediate stop en route at Dalian to/from Fukuoka. Passengers to/from Fukuoka go through immigration procedure at Dalian.
^4 Air China flight CA153 and CA154 have an intermediate stop en route at Dalian to/from Hiroshima. Passengers on these flights depart and arrive at Terminal 3C, and go through immigration procedure at Dalian.
^5 Air China flights have an intermediate stop en route at Xiamen to/from Jakarta. Passengers to/from Jakarta go through immigration procedure at Xiamen.
^6 Air China flights have an intermediate stop en route at Shanghai to/from Sendai. Passengers to/from Sendai go through immigration procedure at Shanghai.
^7 China Eastern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Shanghai to/from Delhi. Passengers to/from Delhi go through immigration procedure at Shanghai.
^8 China Eastern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Kunming to/from Dhaka. Passengers to/from Dhaka go through immigration procedure at Kunming.
^9 China Eastern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Qingdao to/from Fukuoka. Passengers to/from Fukuoka go through immigration procedure at Qingdao.
^10 China Eastern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Qingdao to/from Nagoya. Passengers to/from Nagoya go through immigration procedure at Qingdao.
^11 China Eastern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Kunming to/from Naypyidaw. Passengers to/from Naypyidaw go through immigration procedure at Kunming.
^12 China Eastern Airlines flight MU277 and MU278 have an intermediate stop en route at Yantai to/from Osaka. Passengers on these flights go through immigration procedure at Yantai.
^13 China Eastern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Nanjing to/from Sydney. Passengers to/from Sydney go through immigration procedure at Nanjing.
^14 China Eastern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Shanghai to/from Tokyo. Passengers to/from Tokyo go through immigration procedure at Shanghai.
^15 China Eastern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Kunming to/from Vientiane. Passengers to/from Vientiane go through immigration procedure at Kunming.
^16 China Southern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Ürümqi to/from Istanbul. Passengers to/from Istanbul go through immigration procedure at Ürümqi.
^17 China Southern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Guangzhou to/from Phnom Penh. Passengers to/from Phnom Penh go through immigration procedure at Guangzhou.
^18 China Southern Airlines flights have an intermediate stop en route at Ürümqi to/from Tehran. Passengers to/from Tehran go through immigration procedure at Ürümqi.

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
AirBridgeCargo Airlines	Moscow–Sheremetyevo
Air China Cargo	Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago–O'Hare, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Portland (OR), Shanghai–Pudong, Nanjing
Air Hong Kong	Hong Kong
Air Koryo	Pyongyang
Cargolux	Luxembourg
SF Airlines	Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Wuxi, Shenzhen, Macau
China Postal Airlines	Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing
Etihad Crystal Cargo	Abu Dhabi, Almaty
FedEx Express	Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai,Osaka
Lufthansa Cargo	Frankfurt

Ground transportation

Beijing Subway Airport Express Line

Aboard the Airport Express train

Intra-terminal transportation

Main article: Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 People mover

Terminal 3 consists of three sub-concourses. Both domestic and international travelers check in at T3C. Gates for domestic flights are in T3C and T3D (solely for domestic Air China flights), while international flights are handled in T3E. The 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) trip between T3C and T3E is shortened to 2–5 minutes by an automated people mover.

Inter-terminal transportation

The airport provides free inter-terminal shuttle bus between Terminals 1/2 and 3. The buses set out every 10 minutes from 6 am to 11 pm, and every 30 minutes from 11pm till 6am. Terminals 1 and 2 are connected by a lengthy corridor.

Rail

Main article: Airport Express, Beijing Subway

Beijing Capital International Airport is served by the Airport Express Line of the Beijing Subway. The 28.1 km (17.5 mi) line runs from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 and then to the city with stops at Sanyuanqiao and Dongzhimen. The line opened on 19 July 2008, in time for the 2008 Olympics. A one-way trip takes approximately 16–20 minutes and costs ¥25. The running hours are 6:35-23:10 for T2, 6:20-22:50 for T3 and 6:00-22:30 for Dongzhimen.

Bus

Main article: Beijing Airport Bus

The airport offers bus service to and from points throughout the city including Xidan, Beijing Railway Station, Beijing South Station, Beijing West Station, Zhongguancun, Fangzhuang and Shangdi on eleven airport bus routes. The airport buses run to each of the three terminals and cost ¥16 per ride. The airport buses accept only paper tickets that are sold at each terminal and certain bus stops in the city. The airport also offers bus service to and from neighboring cities including Tianjin, Qinhuangdao, Baoding, Langfang and Tangshan.

Taxi

Taxi service from the airport to Beijing is available. Normal taxis (not limousines) are on the meter, and a normal reasonable price to downtown Beijing is around ¥150.

Car

Toll plaza at Xiaotianzhu on the Airport Expressway, which goes to Terminals 1 and 2.

Toll plaza on the 2nd Airport Expressway and entrance to parking garage at Terminal 3.

The airport is accessible by four express tollways. Two of these run directly from northeastern Beijing to the airport. The other two connect to the airport from nearby highways. .

• The Airport Expressway is a 20 km (12 mi) toll road that runs from the northeastern 3rd Ring Road at Sanyuanqiao directly to Terminals 1 and 2. It was built in the 1990s and has served as the primary road connection to the city.
• The 2nd Airport Expressway, opened in 2008, is a 15.6 km (9.7 mi) toll road that runs east from Yaojiayuan Lu at the eastern 5th Ring Road and then north to Terminal 3.
• The Northern Airport Line, opened in 2006, is an 11.3 km (7.0 mi) toll road that runs east from the Jingcheng Expressway to Terminals 1 and 2.
• The Southern Airport Line, opened in 2008, is a toll road that runs parallel and to the south of the Northern Airport Line from the Jingcheng Expressway to the eastern Sixth Ring Road at the Litian Bridge. This highway crosses the Airport Expressway and 2nd Airport Expressway, and enables drivers on the former to reach Terminal 3 and the latter to head to Terminals 1 and 2.

In addition to the expressways, there is a tree-lined, two-lane road that runs just south of the Airport Expressway. This Old Airport Road was the primary access route to the airport prior to the expressway's opening and remains the only untolled road to the airport.

Parking

The airport's parking garage offers 24-hour parking service.

Accolades

Rankings

Traffic	Rank	Year
List of airports by passenger traffic	2	2014
List of airports by traffic movements	5	2014
List of airports by cargo traffic	12	2014

• 2009 – 1st on the ranking of the World's Best Airport by Condé Nast Traveler magazine, based on its satisfaction survey.
• 2011 – 3rd Best Airport Worldwide of the Airport Service Quality Awards by Airports Council International.

Statistics

Traffic by calendar year

	Passengers	Change from previous year	Movements	Cargo (tons)
2007	53,611,747		399,209	1,416,211.3
2008	55,938,136	04.3%	429,646	1,367,710.3
2009	65,375,095	016.9%	487,918	1,475,656.8
2010	73,948,114	013.1%	517,585	1,551,471.6
2011	78,674,513	06.4%	533,166	1,640,231.8
2012	81,929,359	04.1%	557,167	1,787,027
2013	83,712,355	02.2%	567,759	1,843,681
2014	86,128,313	02.9%	581,952	1,848,251.5
2015	89,900,000	04.4%

Other facilities

Beijing Capital Airlines has its headquarters in the Capital Airlines Building (首都航空大厦 Shǒudū Hángkōng Dàshà) at the airport.

Sister airports

• O'Hare International Airport
• Helsinki Airport
• Hong Kong International Airport
• Los Angeles International Airport
• Manchester Airport
• Munich Airport
• Suvarnabhumi Airport
• Sydney Airport
• Stockholm Arlanda Airport

Photo gallery

• 
  Entrance to Terminal 2
• 
  The departure hall of Terminal 2
• 
  Terminal 2 International Departure Waiting Hall
• 
  Terminal 2 Arrival Luggage Pick Up Hall
• 
  Airport terminal architecture in Terminal 2 (April 2006 image)
• 
  Terminal 3 exterior
• 
  entrance into the main hall of Terminal 3
• 
  Departure lounge in Terminal 3
• 
  Terminal 3
• 
  Curbside of departure level at Terminal 3
• 
  Terminal 3 of Capital Airport
• 
  Display with clocks set to time zones around the world

Accidents and incidents

• On 6 April 1993, China Eastern Airlines Flight 583, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 flying from Beijing to Los Angeles via Shanghai, had an inadvertent deployment of the leading edge wing slats while cruising. The aircraft progressed through several violent pitch oscillations and lost 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of altitude. Two passengers were killed, and 149 passengers and 7 crew members were injured. The aircraft landed safely at Shemya.
• On 10 August 1993, Air China Flight 973, a Boeing 767 was hijacked after takeoff from Beijing en route to Jakarta. A 30-year-old Chinese man passed a handwritten note to a flight attendant demanding to be flown to Taiwan. He threatened that his "accomplice" would destroy the aircraft unless he was flown to Taiwan. He was carrying a shampoo bottle containing a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids, and he threatened to disfigure nearby passengers with the acid unless his demands were followed. The aircraft was flown to Taipei International Airport, where the hijacker surrendered.
• On November 13, 1993, China Northern Flight 6901 from Beijing to Urumqi, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-82 (Reg. B-2141) airliner, crashed on approach to Urumqi airport, killing 12 of 102 on board. Pilot error was blamed for the crash.
• On 11 September 1998, China Eastern Flight 586, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-11, flying from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport, suffered a nose gear failure after take-off. The aircraft landed back in Shanghai with the nose gear up on a foamed runway.
• On 10 October 1998, Air China Flight 905, a Boeing 737-300 flying the Beijing-Kunming-Yangon route was hijacked by its pilot to Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan. The pilot and his wife were apprehended by Taiwanese authorities. The passengers and the crew were unharmed, and the aircraft returned to mainland China later that day. This incident was the last hijacking to Taiwan of a mainland Chinese civilian aircraft.
• On 15 April 2002, Air China Flight 129, a Boeing 767-200ER from Beijing to Busan, South Korea, crashed into a hill while trying to land at Gimhae International Airport during inclement weather, killing 129 of the 166 people on board. This is Air China's first and only fatal accident to date.
• On May 7, 2002, China Northern Flight 6136 from Beijing to Dalian, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-82 (Reg. B-2138) airliner, crashed into the Yellow Sea about 6 miles (9.7 km) off the Dalian coast, killing all 112 on board. It was later determined that a passenger who wanted to commit suicide started a fire on board the aircraft.
• On 17 January 2008, British Airways Flight 38, a Boeing 777-200ER G-YMMM, from Beijing to London crash-landed approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) short of London Heathrow Airport's runway 27L, and slid onto the runway's displaced threshold. The aircraft sustained damage to its landing gear, wing roots and engines, resulting in the first hull loss of a Boeing 777. There were no fatalities, but there was one serious injury and 12 minor injuries. The accident was caused by icing in the fuel system, resulting in a loss of power.

• On 7 March 2008, an attempt to hijack and crash a flight en route from Urumqi to Beijing was averted when the crew found a 19-year-old woman trying to spill gasoline in the toilet. The pilot made an emergency landing at Lanzhou Airport and two passengers were arrested.
• 8 March 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777-200ER registered 9M-MRO carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, went missing on a flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport. Although the whereabouts of the plane remain undiscovered, satellite data indicates that the plane was lost in the Southern Indian Ocean and all 239 people on board perished. On August 5, 2015 the Malaysian government confirmed a flaperon from a 777 found washed up on Réunion Island belonged to Flight 370.
• On 10 November 2014, China Southern Airlines flight 3739 was flying from Zhuhai to Beijing when the crew reported a smell of smoke in the cabin. The flight was subsequently diverted to Guangzhou. A bird strike shortly after takeoff is thought to be the likely cause, according to the investigation report.

See also

• Beijing Daxing International Airport
• Beijing Nanyuan Airport
• List of airports in China
• List of the busiest airports in China

External links

• Official website