Capital International Airport (PEK)
Tel: (10) 6454 1100.
Website: www.bcia.com.cn

Beijing's airport is located 28km (17 miles) northeast of the city centre. The main international terminal opened in 1999 for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the PRC and now hosts 66 local and domestic airlines offering more than 5,000 scheduled flights linking Beijing with 88 Chinese and 69 international cities. More than 40 foreign airlines have booking offices in Beijing. As part of Beijing's Olympic overhaul, Lord Norman Foster's glittering new terminal three opened in 2008. Claiming to be ‘the world's largest and most advanced airport building,' it will accommodate 43 million passengers per year, rising to 53 million by 2015. A second international airport is also currently being planned outside the city itself.

Approximate flight times to Beijing: From London is 10 hours 10 minutes; from New York is 14 hours 40 minutes; from Los Angeles is 12 hours 30 minutes; from Toronto is 16 hours 20 minutes and from Sydney is 13 hours 30 minutes.

Airport facilities: These include bureaux de change, ATM, hotel reservations and transfers, duty free and other shops, cafés, restaurants, left-luggage and tourist information.

Transport to the city: Metered taxis are available at the airport (journey time - 45-60 minutes). The Airport-City Shuttle Bus (tel: (10) 6459 4375) departs every 30 minutes (0800-2230) from outside arrivals hall No. 11. Buses take five routes into the city - the most popular is to Xidan in central Beijing, a short walk from the Forbidden City. The other routes are to Fangzhuang,  Beijing Railway Station, Gongzhufen in western Beijing, Zhongguancun hi-tech park in the city's northwest district (journey time - 35-60 minutes). Shuttle buses to the airport leave regularly throughout the day from the China Aviation Building, and  from both the China Art Gallery and Zhongguancun.