The Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is the main international airport for the capital of China, Beijing. The airport located 32 km (20 mi) to the northeast of downtown Beijing is today the biggest airport in China and the second busiest in the world. View its location in relation to downtown Beijing below.
Layout of Beijing Capital International Airport
The Beijing Capital International Airport comprises three terminals, namely Terminals 1, 2 and 3. The present Terminal 1 began operations on 1 January 1980. It replaces the original Beijing Airport terminal building from 1958, which still exists today and caters to VIP flights.
Terminal 2 opened in 1999 so that the old Beijing Airport could be closed for the construction of what became Terminal 1. Terminal 2 is much larger than Terminal 1, but nowhere compared to the gargantuan Terminal 3, which opened in 2008 and was once the largest man-made structure on earth until the completion of Dubai International Airport Terminal 3.
It is possible to walk between Terminal 1 and 2 using a corridor with travelators. You can make the journey in about 10 minutes. There is a free shuttle bus between Terminals 2 and 3.
The opening of Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 was to coincide with the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It comprises three separate concourses named 3C, 3D and 3E. (There aren't any 3A or 3B, to avoid confusion with the two existing terminal buildings.)
Terminal 3 has three above-ground levels and two below. Its length is close to 3 kilometers from end to end. To move people through this distance, there is an unmanned rail transit called the Automated People Mover (APM) which runs on Level 2 of the terminal, between Concourse 3C and Concourse 3E, a distance of 2080 meters.
The first thing to know is which terminal you will be arriving at.
Terminal 1: Beijing-Shanghai Air Express, Capital Airlines (JD), Grand China Airlines (domestic) (CN), Hainan Airlines (domestic) (HU) and Tianjin Airlines (GS).
Terminal 2: Aeroflot Russian Airlines (SU), Aerosvit Ukrainian Airlines (VV), Air Algeria (AH), Air Astana (KC), Air France (AF), Air Koryo (JS), Air Zimbabwe (UM), Angola Airlines (DT), Beijing-Shanghai Air Express, China Eastern Airlines (MU), China Southern Airlines (CZ), Chongqing Airlines (OQ), Delta Air Lines (DL), Ethiopian Airlines (ET), Garuda Indonesia (GA), Pakistan International Airlines (PK), Hainan Airlines International (HU), Hong Kong Express (UO), Iran Air (IR), Korean Air (KE), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), Malaysia Airlines (MH), Philippine Airlines (PR), Pulkovo-Russian Airlines (FV), Shanghai Airlines (FM), Sri Lankan Airlines (UL), Turkmenistan Airlines (T5), Uzbekistan Airlines (HY), Vietnam Airlines (VN), Vladivostok Air (XF), Xiamen Airlines (MF).
Public Transport at Beijing Capital International Airport
Your choice of public transport include the Airport Express Train, the Airport Shuttle Bus and the taxi.
Airport Express Train: This high-speed rail link began operations on 19 July, 2008. It stops at Terminals 2 and 3 of the airport. If you arrive at Terminal 1, follow the signage to the Airport Express station at Terminal 2. The train makes a loop going from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 to Sanyuanqiao Station to Dongzhimen Station and back to Terminal 3. The fare is RMB 25 regardless which station you board, so it's not worth taking if you're just going from Terminal 3 to 2. Tickets can be purchased from the ticket counter or vending machines available at each station. Hold on to the ticket as you need it to exit the turnstile later on. If you lose the ticket, you will have to pay a charge of RMB 250.
At Sanyuanqiao Station, you can transfer to Subway Line 10 while at Dongzhimen Station, you can transfer to Subway Lines 2 and 13.
Airport Shuttle Bus: There are six different bus routes out of Beijing Capital International Airport. The frequency of service ranges from 10 to 30 minutes. Buy your bus ticket at the ticket counter located at each terminal and proceed to wait for the bus. The fare is RMB 16. Most (but not all) routes run from 7:00 am to 12:00 midnight.
Bus Stations
Terminal 1: Gate 7, 1st floor
Terminal 2: Gate 13-18, 1st floor
Terminal 3: West Gate, 1st floor
There are also buses from the Capital Airport to Tianjin, Tanggu, Qinhuangdao, Langfang, Baoding and Tangshan. These buses depart from the bus stop at Gate 15, 1st Floor of Terminal 2 and Gate 3, 1st Floor of Terminal 3. Far and duration are as shown below:
Taxis There are taxi queues at all three terminals. A journey to downtown Beijing costs between RMB 70 to RMB 120. The fare is according to meter, plus expressway toll, which is RMB 10.
There is a free shuttle bus service that goes from Terminal 3 to 2 to 1, and back. It takes 15 minutes from Terminal 3 to 1 and vice versa. The frequency is one every 7 minutes. The pick-up points are as follows:
Terminal 1: Gate 3-5, 1st floor
Terminal 2: Gate 11, 1st floor
Terminal 3: Gate 5, 1st floor
The shuttle bus starts at Gate 5, Terminal 3 Arrival Floor, continues to Terminal 2 Departure Floor, then Terminal 1 Departure Floor. It then proceeds to Gate 11 of Terminal 2 Arrival Floor, continues to Gate 5 of Terminal 1 Arrival Floor, then Terminal 3 Departure Floor, and back to Gate 5, Terminal 3 Departure Floor.
Check-in counters at Departure Level, Terminal 3
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ZBAA_terminal_3_check-in_20090503.jpg Author: Roy Kim
Departing from Beijing Capital International Airport
Taking the Airport Express Train
If you're boarding the Airport Express Train at Dongzhimen Station, you can take the Subway Line 2 or 13 to get there. You need to return the subway ticket and purchase another at the ticket counter for your ride from Dongzhimen to the Beijing Capital Airport.
Taking the Airport Shuttle Bus
You can take the Airport Shuttle Bus from the same bus stations in Beijing back to the airport. The fare is the same. The bus will stop at Terminal 3 followed by Terminal 2 and then Terminal 1, in that order.
As there is no more space for future expansion to the present airport, a new international airport has already been planned. It will be built in Daxing, about 46 km south of downtown Beijing. Construction is expected to start in late 2012 and the airport is expected to open only in 2017. When it does, it will take over as the primary airport for Beijing.
Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.
Disclaimer
Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.
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