Beijing Capital International Airport

Beijing Capital was for years the busiest airport in Asia, and it remains an enormous operation and the main hub for Air China. The one thing every Beijing traveler now has to check first, though, is which airport their flight actually uses — because since Beijing Daxing (PKX) opened on the far south side of the city, a large share of traffic has moved there. Capital and Daxing are on opposite sides of a vast city, so confirm your airport before anything else.

The terminals at Capital

Capital runs on three terminals. Terminal 3 is the giant — one of the largest terminal buildings in the world, with its own internal automated train to reach the far gates — and it handles Air China and most international flights. Terminals 1 and 2 carry other domestic and international services. The terminals are distinct buildings; a transfer between them takes time, so check yours.

Getting into Beijing

The Airport Express metro line runs from Terminals 2 and 3 into the city, connecting to the wider Beijing subway at Dongzhimen. It is the traffic-proof route in. The airport is about 25 km northeast of the center, so taxis are a longer ride and the expressway can be slow at peak hours; use the official taxi ranks rather than touts.

Worth knowing

If you are transiting, check the current visa-free transit policy for Beijing against your nationality and onward route before planning to leave the airport. Inside Terminal 3, distances are large and the internal train is part of the journey to your gate — leave time. And again, the single most common Beijing mistake is showing up at the wrong airport: Capital and Daxing are not interchangeable.