Beijing Capital International Airport

Beijing Capital International held the title of the world's second-busiest airport for most of the 2010s and remains one of mainland China's two principal gateways to the capital, serving 206 direct destinations across 56 airlines. PEK's traffic has been structurally reshaped since 2019 by the opening of Beijing Daxing (PKX), which absorbed a significant share of Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and LCC operations south of the city; PEK is now positioned as the primary Air China (Star Alliance) hub with a focus on long-haul international and premium service. The airport operates three terminals — T1 (domestic), T2 (international and legacy), and the landmark T3 designed by Foster + Partners, which at its 2008 Olympic opening was the world's largest single-terminal building (986,000 m² under roof). T3's dragon-shaped plan stretches 3 km end-to-end and introduced an automated people-mover for airside connections between its three concourses. Three runways of 12,500 ft (3,810 m), 12,500 ft (3,810 m), and 11,302 ft (3,445 m) handle simultaneous operations despite Beijing's dense northern approach corridor. PEK sits at 116 ft (35 m) elevation 32 km northeast of central Beijing. Air China anchors the hub with a widebody-heavy international fleet operating long-haul to North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Following the 2019 opening of PKX, most SkyTeam carriers (China Eastern, China Southern, Delta) and LCCs relocated, leaving PEK with a more concentrated Star Alliance profile — Lufthansa, United, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, ANA, and Asiana maintain strong schedules alongside Air China's flag operation. The airport remains a strategically significant facility even in its post-Daxing role, handling nearly all of Beijing's premium long-haul traffic.