Beijing Capital is the hub of Air China and was, until Daxing opened, the single busiest airport in Asia. Its Terminal 3 was built for the 2008 Olympic Games — a red-and-gold dragon-like structure by Norman Foster that was among the largest airport buildings in the world when it opened. The current schedule feed lists 230 airports in 67 countries connected to Beijing.
The terminal's roof is punctuated by triangular skylights oriented to catch the southeast sun, a nod to traditional Chinese attention to orientation and color.
Beijing Capital International Airport is the 15th busiest airport in the world — it handled 70,742,712 passengers in 2025, according to ACI World's annual ranking.
The most frequently served routes for Beijing Capital International Airport connect to Shanghai (SHA), Chengdu (CTU) and Shenzhen (SZX).
The longest connected route for Beijing Capital International Airport reaches Sao Paulo (GRU). This flight covers a distance of 10,921 miles (17,576 km).