Airport Guide

History of Beijing Capital International Airport

The first civil aviation airport in the whole of the People's Republic of China, Beijing Capital was founded in 1958, when it consisted of just one small passenger terminal.

For years the airport welcomed mostly just domestic VIPs, along with international diplomats and a small number of adventurous travellers, though by 1980, demand had grown to such an extend that a new, much larger terminal was required.

After spells of expansion throughout the 1980s and 1990s, work began on a new Terminal 1 in 1999, with work completed five years later.

This was joined by the impressive Terminal 3 – the world's largest man-made structure in terms of the area it covers -, designed to cope with millions of passengers who arrived in the Chinese capital for the 2008 Olympic Games, with this event also paving the way for a new rail link to the city centre.

Though the Games have been and gone, plans for further expansion are also currently in place, though so are plans for a major new airport to the south of Beijing.

Travelling to Beijing Capital International Airport

Located just 15 miles north-east of the city centre, Beijing Capital Airport can be easily reached by either public or private transportation.

For the time being, the best means of getting to the terminals from downtown is public transportation, with the Airport Express Line of the Beijing Subway offering fast and affordable links round-the-clock.

Additionally, there are regular bus services out of the airport to all areas of the city, though these are slower than the train.

For those travelling by hire car or private car, the Airport Expressway offers the only direct route to Beijing Capital at present, though several new road links connecting the terminals to the east and north of the metropolis are currently under construction.

Airlines flying from Beijing Capital International Airport

As Asia's busiest air transport hub, Beijing International welcomes hundreds of international and national flights a day, with big-name airlines joined by a number of small, low-cost rivals.

By far the biggest presence at Beijing International is that of Chinese national carrier Air China.

Domestically, the carrier flies to dozens of destinations, including Xi'an, Fuzhou, Shanghai, Yantai, Zhengzhou and Nantong.

In addition, it also operates regular international flights to long-haul destinations such as Atehns, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome and Zurich.

Hainan, China Eastern and China Southern airlines offer some of the cheapest air tickets within the country, while they all also operate cheap flights across Asia and beyond, including those to Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and London and New York.

Also to and from Beijing capital are nearly all of the world's major national carriers, inclduig KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways, Iran Air, SAS and Thai International.

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