Beijing Capital Airport is the main air gate of the capital of China, the city of Beijing. It is here that the bulk of international flights arrive and depart from here. Beijing is one of the busiest airports in the world. In terms of passenger traffic, it ranks second in the world after the hub in Dubai. This air harbor is also known as PEK Beijing Airport.
Classification
The main aviation transport hub of China is PEK encoded according to IATA classification. The history of this code goes back to the past name of the capital of China in English - Peking. The decoding of PEK airport is the first three letters of the old name of the capital "Celestial". The airport also has an encoding - ZBAA according to ICAO classification. Another well-known airport code is DJS.
In English, Beijing Capital Airport is known as Beijing Capital International Airport.
History of development
During the foundation of the airport, namely March 2, 1958, a small terminal facility was erected on the territory of the modern giant. Designed to serve VIP passengers, as well as several charter flights. At the same time, the PEK code was assigned to the airport.
Terminal No. 1, with an area of 60,000 square meters, was opened in January 1980. Its task is to replace the first terminal. It is painted green. From the beginning of operation, it could simultaneously receive from 10 to 12 aircraft. Despite the fact that it was quite large by the standards of the mid-nineties of the last century, it soon began to be missed due to the increasing passenger flow. The terminal was closed for the first reconstruction in 1999. It reopened on September 20, 2004. After the upgrade, he got 16 receiving gates for aircraft.
The second terminal of the Beijing airport was opened in November 1999, in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the PRC. He already had 20 reception gates. In September 2004, the restored Terminal No. 1 was added to it. The first and second terminals are connected by moving tracks.
Until the moment when Terminal No. 3 was built and put into operation, the second was the main one for receiving and sending flights.
Before the grandiose world event, namely the Beijing Summer Olympics, the country's airport - PEK, received the modern Terminal No. 3 in February 2008. In addition to it, a new, third runway was erected. A modern railway line has been commissioned towards the center of Beijing. The new terminal is considered one of the largest in the world in terms of the area on which it is located.
At peak load, in 2008, PEK Beijing Capital Airport was able to serve more than 55 million passengers. In the same year, he provided nearly 400,000 take-offs and landings of aircraft, which made him one of the busiest airports in the world. Currently, the airport serves about 1,100 flights per day.
Terminal No. 3 began to be built in March 2004. He joined the work gradually, in two stages. A trial run was carried out in February 2008. The construction of this giant terminal cost more than $ 3.5 billion. Its area is more than 980,000 square meters.
This modern terminal is divided into three parts, namely:
- main passenger terminal 3C;
- additional 3D, 3E.
Terminal No. 3 is located on five floors above the ground and on 2 underground floors - A and B.
Terminal No. 3D is the main receiving and starting point for local airlines.
Terminal No. 3E - international. It is called the Olympic Hall. During the 2008 Olympic Games, it became the main one for receiving and sending charter flights. Currently serves international flights.
Terminal allocation
Due to the fact that China and its capital, Beijing, are very popular places for visiting tourists and people arriving in the Middle Kingdom on business, Beijing Capital Airport is very busy. The huge passenger flow through the main airport of the capital has led to the need for tight consolidation of GDP and terminals between aircraft of various airlines in China and the world.
Terminal No. 1 is the base for Chinese airlines Hainan Airlines, HNA Group.
Terminal No. 2 is involved in the provision of international flights to China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, SkyTeam Group, and Korean Air Koryo.
Terminal No. 3 currently provides flights to local Air China, Beijing Capital Airlines, world Oneworld, Star Alliance and other international airlines.
This transport hub provides long-haul flights. Among them are routes to the largest cities in the world, such as New York, Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Frankfurt, London, Paris.
Russian aircraft of Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, and Ural Airlines also arrive at the GDP of the third terminal.
Design solutions
Passengers arriving in Beijing note the magnitude of the PEK airport and cutting-edge design solutions. The most impressive building is Terminal No. 3. Its architectural ensemble imitates fragments of the Great Wall of China, a copper vat - an attribute of the Forbidden City, as well as other famous sights, including those of a mythological character.
The ceiling of this terminal is also unusual. It is painted in orange shades, very diverse. It includes white stripes that act as pointers, according to which passengers can easily navigate. The roof itself is red in color. In China, it is believed that such a shade brings good luck. It has a large number of windows that allow you to achieve maximum lighting inside the terminal. A dispatch tower was erected from the northern end of Terminal No. 3. Its height is more than 98 meters. This is the tallest building in Beijing Airport.
Infrastructure for passengers
PEK China Airport has a developed infrastructure that is present in each terminal. For passengers with children, mothers with babies, there are special lounges and well-equipped games rooms.
For people with disabilities, places of comfortable rest are provided. They have low reception desks, separate elevators and toilets. For visually impaired people there are tactile pointers.
Medical centers in each terminal and massage rooms are available around the clock.
There are more than 70 different public catering facilities (cafes, bars, teahouses, fast food outlets) at the airport. Cafe is especially popular in Terminal No. 3, which is called “World Cuisine”.
Each terminal has its own chain of stores, which has an extensive assortment of goods. The duty free zone at Beijing Airport has a significant territory where it is possible to purchase almost any duty-free item.
Also, there are several bank branches in Terminal No. 3, in other terminals there are enough ATMs and currency exchange points.
Beijing's PEK Airport has a well-equipped business center in which electronic devices (faxes, photocopiers, computers) are freely available. In all terminals, as well as in other places near the Beijing airport, racks for charging mobile phones (gadgets) are located.
All terminals are equipped with modern hygiene systems, there is the possibility of using shower cabins.
Left-luggage offices at Beijing Capital Airport are open around the clock; payment for their services is available. Porters are available at the departure and baggage claim areas.
The terminals are interconnected by transport, which is carried out by shuttle buses. They ply at short intervals and deliver just a few minutes to their destination. Travel on this transport is free.
Beijing Airport has a developed wireless Internet system. Access requires a username and password. They are received through special information machines that provide the necessary information upon presentation of a passport.
Hotels
There are a large number of different hotels near Beijing Airport. There are many of them along the road to the city. The closest at a distance of about 700 meters. Visitors to Beijing Airport claim that every 100 meters from the airport there are hotels where it is possible to find a room of any price category. At the same time, even the most inexpensive ones have air conditioning, a TV, a refrigerator, a shower room. All hotels have Wi-Fi access. Parking is free everywhere.
Baggage service
Beijing International Airport is proud of its baggage delivery system operating at Terminal No. 3. Its cost was almost $ 240 million. This structure has yellow cards with an individual code. The same barcode is on every item in the map. Such a system makes movements very efficient. In the luggage compartment of Terminal No. 3, more than 200 video cameras are installed that automatically monitor the situation.
The baggage handling system serves more than 19,000 items per hour. Moreover, its speed is impressive, which is aimed at reducing the time from the moment the plane arrives until the passenger receives his belongings. This time period is reduced to 4.5 minutes.
How to get there
There are several ways to get to and from PEK Airport. The most popular is the train - Airport Express. You can get into it directly from the 2nd, 10th, 13th metro lines in Beijing. Tourists are advised to use it, as this is the most reliable way to arrive on time. Traffic jams in Beijing periodically occur. When traveling to the airport, the train stops twice, in the third terminal, then in the second.
According to tourists from Russia, Beijing Airport is a structure that is striking in its scale. Beautiful and huge. Some travelers suggest including it in excursion programs. A memorable photo of PEK airport is a must for every tourist who has visited it.