BEIJING AIRPORT (PEK) INFORMATION

Beijing Airport - Asia's busiest carries the IATA code PEK, an abbreviation reminding visitors to this day that the capital of China was once called Peking. Located some 20 miles or 32 km northeast of central Beijing, the airport sits in the Chaoyang district, which is encircled by the Shunyi suburb of Beijing.

Beijing Airport serves as the main hub for flag carrier Air China. The airline covers some 120 passenger destinations from the airport in Beijing. The Asian carriers Hainan and China Southern Airlines also use Beijing as their hub. Last year Beijing came in second place with regard to the world’s busiest airports.

Beijing's airport was inaugurated on March 2, 1958 and had originally only one small terminal, which still exists today, reportedly used by VIPs and charter flight operators. At the beginning of 1980 the airport got its first purpose built passenger terminal, which was already deemed too small by the middle of the 1990's. When Terminal 2 opened its doors to the public, Terminal 1 closed its doors for extensive refurbishment for several years.

The growing popularity of flights across the world and less strict travel requirements for citizens from the People's Republic of China on outbound flights meant that two terminals were soon inadequate to deal with passenger numbers. Terminal 3 opened its doors to the public in 2008 to cater for the visitors coming to see the Olympic Games at Beijing. Terminal 3 is the second largest airport in the world, apart from Dubai's terminal 3. Beijing's terminal is so vast it ranks as the fifth largest building on the planet!

In June 2008 Beijing Airport finally got a fully refurbished and modernised Terminal 1 that catered for just a few carriers offering domestic flights, such as Hainan Airlines, Deer Air, Grand China Air, and Tianjin Airlines, in fact all domestic flights operated by the HNA Group.

Terminal 2 also offers domestic and international routes such as flights between Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Beijing and flights operated by China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Skyteam, Air Koryo and other domestic and international carriers.

Terminals 1 and 2 are connected by a public walkway. It takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to walk from one terminal to the other but there are shuttle buses, which link all three terminals at regular intervals.

With the construction of Terminal 3, Beijing Airport also received a third runway and a rail link into central Beijing, which operates an Airport Express train service from the Transportation Center. Air China, Shanghai Airlines, the Star Alliance members as well as Oneworld members moved operations to Terminal 3.

Among the first to move into the new airport terminal, which opened in two phases, were British Airways and El Al Israel Airlines as well as Qantas and Qatar Airways. Domestic carriers Shandong Airlines and Sichuan Airlines also have a presence as well as Star Alliance members Austrian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, United, Turkish Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Air China uses also Terminal 3-E.

At Terminal 3 passengers will find 292 international check-in desks, duty free shops, changing facilities for babies and toddlers, children's playground and an intra-terminal people mover train that helps passengers to get around the vast structure without tiring themselves out.

Arrivals, Departures and Airlines at Beijing Airport

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Onward transport exists in via the aforementioned Airport Express trains and the Beijing Subway, which also connects Terminals 2 and 3. A handful of car rental companies offer services in and near the airport

The main passenger terminal is called Terminal 3C, but there are also two satellite concourses called Terminal 3D and Terminal 3E as well as five floors above ground and two underground levels. Since Terminal 1 and 2 use the letters "A and B" for their concourses, Terminal 3 has avoided using these letters so passengers won't get confused.

While Terminal 3C is designated for domestic flight routes, Terminal 3E deals with international flights and Terminal 3D, which started life as the "Olympics Hall", is now also designated for international flights.

Thanks to its enormous size, Terminal 3 can offer no fewer than 7,000 parking spaces and the transportation center has its own dedicated traffic lanes to speed up traffic in and out of Beijing Airport. Airport buses, taxis and private vehicles are allowed to use these lanes.

Terminal 3's baggage handling system is the envy of the world with a staggering delivery of 19,200 pieces of luggage per hour. Transferring passengers baggage can be delivered from T3C to T3E in just five minutes and passengers arriving at Beijing Airport can typically retrieve their baggage within 4.5 minutes after their plane has been unloaded.

Parking at Beijing Airport

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Hotels near Beijing Airport

There are a number of hotels to suit all budgets and requirements at or near Beijing Airport.

Additional Services and Amenities at Beijing Airport

At Beijing Airport you will find the usual array of bars and restaurants, airport lounges and shops.

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• See and book airport lounges at Beijing Airport
• Plan your shopping in advance - see all the shops (including duty-free) at Beijing Airport

Things to do in Beijing

There are a number of activities to suit all ages and interests in the region - see a selection of tourist activities in Beijing, China.