Beijing Airport

Beijing Airport was opened on 1 March 1958.:?20? The airport then consisted of one small terminal building, which still stands to this day, apparently for the use of VIPs and charter flights, along with a single 2,500-meter runway on the east:?18? which was extended to 3,200 meters in 1966 and 3,800 meters in 1982 respectively.:?22? Another 3,200-meter runway on the west was completed in October 1978. On 1 January 1980, a newer, larger Terminal 1 – green in color – opened, with docks for 10 to 12 aircraft. The terminal was larger than the one built in the 1950s, but by the mid-1990s, its size became relatively inadequate.

The first International flight to China and Beijing Capital International Airport was of Pakistan International Airlines from Islamabad.

In late 1999, to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, the airport experienced a new round of expansion as Terminal 2 opened on 1 November of that year. Terminal 1 was then temporarily closed for renovation after the opening of Terminal 2. 20 September 2004 saw the opening of a renovated Terminal 1, which at that time solely handled China Southern Airlines' domestic and international flights from Beijing. Other airlines' domestic and international flights still operated in Terminal 2.

Another round of expansion started in 2007. A third runway opened on 29 October 2007, to relieve congestion on the other two runways. Terminal 3 was completed in February 2008, in time for the Beijing Olympics. This colossal expansion also included a rail link to the city center. At its opening, the new Terminal 3 was the largest man-made structure in the world in terms of area covered, and a major landmark representing Beijing as the growing and developing Chinese capital. The expansion was largely funded by a 30 billion yen loan from Japan and a 500-million-euro loan from the European Investment Bank . The loan is the largest ever granted by the EIB in Asia; the agreement was signed during the eighth China-EU Summit held in September 2005.Fresh from hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics and adding its new terminal building, Beijing Capital has overtaken Tokyo Haneda to be the busiest airport in Asia based on scheduled seat capacity.Due to limited capacity at Beijing Capital International Airport, plans were set forth for the construction of a new airport in Daxing. The project was given final approval on 13 January 2013. Construction began in late 2014 and was completed in 2019. The new airport will serve as a hub for SkyTeam alliance airlines , while Star Alliance members will stay at Beijing Capital International Airport. Hainan Airlines, which accounted for 10% of Beijing Capital International's passenger seat capacity in 2016, but is not part of any major alliance, will stay at the existing capital airport.