Beijing Capital International Airport
Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is a major hub airport near Beijing in China. This page covers the essentials — IATA + ICAO codes, location, live flight status, and hotels nearby.
Getting to + from the city
Capital Airport Express (subway) to Sanyuanqiao or Dongzhimen in 25 min (¥25), then transfer to lines 2/10/13 for the city. Taxi to central Beijing is ¥100–150 and 45–80 min depending on traffic. Note: Beijing's other airport, PKX (Daxing), is 67 km south — confirm which one your flight uses; they're not interchangeable.
Terminals
T2: domestic + a handful of international (Hainan, Asiana). T3: nearly all international + Air China hub (world's 8th-busiest terminal building). T3 is the showpiece (Norman Foster, 2008 Olympics). T3-C/D/E are separate sub-terminals — connected by free underground train, 5 min.
What's actually good
Air China's First Class Lounge (T3) is one of Asia's best — Peking duck served to order, full spa. The Yum Cha branch in T3-E does respectable dim sum. No Western fast food in the airside food court is a feature, not a bug — the local options are better. Wi-Fi requires Chinese SMS verification; bring an eSIM with a local number.
Avoid
Booking onward connections through PEK with less than 3h buffer (security re-check + terminal change). Photographing anything that looks security-related. Trying to use Google Maps (use Amap or Baidu Maps). Currency-exchange counters (use a Wise card + airport ATM). The 2024 transit visa rules changed: 240-hour visa-free transit now available for many nationalities — check the latest before flying.