Beijing's Capital Airport has rapidly ascended the rankings of the world's busiest airports, and currently comes in second. Over 500'000 aircraft movements per year and some well accessible photo spots make for an easy glimpse into Chinese and Asian aviation.
Please Note: This guide is compiled only from the experiences of a single two-day visit in fall 2012. I am by no means an expert on spotting at Beijing. The only motivation for providing this guide was that I couldn't find any other when I was researching information for my own trip. So if you do have additional information or own experiences, please share them and help to make this guide better! Use the feedback function at the bottom or contact me directly! You will find information submitted by other spotters over time marked in green throughout the guide.
Transport to the Airport: Be aware that the airport express train is not included in Beijings subway system (all trains only 3RMB). Airport express costs 25RMB one way. Thanks for this input, Dennis!
Is Planespotting allowed in China? According to local planespotters, it is not forbidden. Of course, you can always have bad luck with police, just like at any other airport in the world. On the upside, spotting in Beijing has become quite popular and is performed on a daily basis, both by locals and international visitors. This means that police has gotten used to the sight of planespotters and has seen that we pose no threat. So far, I haven't heard of any incidents between spotters and the police. Police is known to send illegally parked drivers away quite fast (see "Safety and Security" plus Spots 1A/2A below), yet have never bothered about spotters during their interventions. This suggests that spotting is officially tolerated at Beijing's airport. Foreign visitor Nick supports this in an e-mail from December 2015 about his recent visits: "I went to spots 1B, 1C and 2B and nothing has changed since your report. I saw a number of Chinese photographers while was there. Many were using scanners, which I found surprising. Clearly spotting is very well tolerated."
Runway Usage
General
This guide only deals with the northerly configuration (winds from the north), which is the predominant one during most months. And it's definitely the easier one for planespotting purposes, too.
Here's a graphic showing the fraction of time spent with various wind directions over the course of the year. As can be seen, northerly or northwesterly winds dominate especially in the time between autumn and early spring. More Beijing average weather data can be found over at weatherspark.com.
Source: Weatherspark.com
Runway and Terminal Usage
The three terminals are used as follows:
Terminal 1 (Domestic Chinese airlines):
- Hainan Airlines Group
- Capital Airlines, Grand China Air, Tianjin Airlines
- Spring Airlines (LCC)
Terminal 2 (Skyteam):
- China Eastern Airlines Group (including Shanghai Airlines)
- China Southern Airlines Group (including Chongqing Airlines)
- Xiamen Airlines
- Other Skyteam carriers: Air France, Alitalia, Delta, KLM, Korean Air, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc.
- "Rare" Airlines: Air Astana, Iran Air, PIA, TAAG, Turkmenistan, Philippine, Mega Maldives, etc.
- Air Koryo
Terminal 3 (Star Alliance and OneWorld)
- Air China Group (including Shandong Airlines and Dalian Airlines)
- Shenzen Airlines
- Star Alliance: ANA, Air Canada, Asiana, LH Group, Singapore, SAA, SAS, United, etc.
- OneWold carriers: American, BA, Cathay/Dragonair, Finnair, JAL
- Non alliance carriers: Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, El Al, MIAT
- Some chinese carriers: Sichuan, Juneyao, Air Macau
The splitting of traffic between the three parallel runways doesn't seem to follow any strict system. Generally, airlines occupying terminals 1 and 2 are rather found using the western and the center runway, while airlines occupying terminal 3 use the center and the eastern runway. What's more, to me it made the impression that the outer two runways are the ones primarily used for arrivals, while the center one works as an overflow landing runway during the busy peak times. On the other hand, the center runway seems to be the busiest departure runway, getting flights from both sides of the airport. The outer two runways are very often used for departures, too, though.
The China Southern A380s always seem to operate to and from the center runway. The Emirates and Lufthansa A380 usually use the eastern runway.
Generally I had the impression that the western and center runway tend to yield the more special and exotic arriving traffic (including most cargo arrivals), while traffic onto the eastern runway is dominated by hundreds of Air China B737 and other only too well known Star Alliance carriers.
Visitor Dennis reports about his experiences in October 2014: "Emirates A380 tends to land runway 01 whereas the Chinese 787s coming down 36R. At least 4 of them did this day. JAL 787 landed 01 though. Lufthansa and SAS surprisingly landed on runway 36L. I expected them to land 01."
Visitor Nick reported in December 2015: "I agree the runway use is very variable, although 36R is more for departures. My experience was different to Dennis. SAS used 01R, some Chinese 787s used 01R (Hainan and XiamenAir), so shows how variable it can be."
Safety and Security
The area immediately around terminal 3 (the only one I visited) made a very clean, new, inviting and friendly impression. There are usually local airport workers walking out and about, but they don't seem to care too much about planespotters.
During our two days of spotting in fall 2012, we were also tolerated by the police, even when standing on the side of the road bridge leading up to Terminal 3's departure level for several hours (no sidewalk, see picture from Spot 1A). The police was frequently driving by, and even stopped to fine several Chinese drivers who parked their cars next to us to watch the airplanes. This was taking place a mere 20 meters from us, yet no policemen ever approached us or interacted with us in any way.
This leads me to believe that planespotting is tolerated by authorities as long as you don't interfere with the road traffic. Also, as local spotters point out, planespotting is not prohibited in China. Of course, this is always subject to change, possibly during high alert times, for example during the Communist Party's National Congress. Always be careful not to raise too much suspicion, and try not to leave a bad impression (especially at Spots 1A and 2A) so the spotters coming after you will find the same friendly conditions.
Dennis, who visited in October 2014, reports: "I noticed that only very few people were driving on the outer lane. Most of them took the inner 4 or 5 lanes. So I felt safe all the time."
Nick, in December 2015, reported: "I went to spots 1B, 1C and 2B and nothing has changed since your report. I saw a number of Chinese photographers while was there. Many were using scanners, which I found surprising. Clearly spotting is very well tolerated."
Spotting Points
Terminal 3 Area Spots
Spots just outside of or within walking distance from the newly built Terminal 3 easily allow you to cover the center and the eastern runway (36R and 01) all day long.
!!! Note March 2015: A severe traffic accident on the car ramp to Shenzhen Airport, where a car killed 9 persons and wounded 22 when it hit a crowd watching take-offs and landings, has also affected Beijing's spots 1A and 2A: According to a source, a sign showing "No Standing Is Allowed" in Chinese has been set up there. It is likely that these spots are gone for good now.
Spot 1A/1B: Approach/Lineup Rwy 36R from outside Terminal 3
There are two easily accessable points from which arrivals onto Rwy36R and even line-ups can be photographed.
Spot 1A is located on the car ramp leading up to the departure level of terminal 3 (or more precisely, down from it again). The road is wide enough that you can walk away from the terminal along the railing to where you have an open view of arrivals. If you walk a bit further away from the terminal, you can even see aircraft lining up. Due to the long distance involved in this, heat haze can be a problem - especially if aircraft standing at a nearby gate have their APU running.
While during a whole day of spotting standing on this road bridge we didn't have *any* problems with the police (even though they drove by at 5 minute intervals on their way to/from the terminal), it remains a high risk area. Stand there at your own risk. If you feel like you're raising too much suspicion, switch to spot 1B instead and content yourself with only approach shots.
*Confirmed by a visitor using spots 1A/2A in November 2013: Still no problems with police. Thank you for the update, Frank!*
*Confirmed by Dennis visiting Spots 1A and 2A in October 2014: "From 10am to 1pm I stood at position 1A. One week before APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting. No problems with police at all. There were even a few policemen coming into my direction, pointing on something at the apron, smiled at me and went back. From 1pm to 3pm I was at position 2A. Same here. No problems at all.
!!! Note March 2015: A severe traffic accident on the car ramp to Shenzhen Airport, where a car killed 9 persons and wounded 22 when it hit a crowd watching take-offs and landings, has also affected these Beijing spots: According to a source, a sign showing "No Standing Is Allowed" in Chinese has been set up here. It is likely that Spot 1A is gone for good now.
Spot 1B is located in a beautiful park with a lake, a 10 minute walk from the terminal (ground level), next to the Langham Place Hotel. Here, standard approach shots can be taken.
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Take the metro or a taxi to terminal 3. Exit at the departure level for spot 1A (5 minute walk) or at ground level for spot 1B (10-15 minute walk). |
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Lots of different restaurants available inside the terminal. |
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1A: 100-200mm for approach shots, 300-400mm for aircraft at the holding bays. 1B: 70-150mm for approaching aircraft. |
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Arrivals onto Rwy36R (center runway), restricted views of departures. Possibly low climbouts out of Rwy18L (not tested). |
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First half of the day. |
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You're standing on the side of a busy road (no sidewalk); heat haze for ground shots. |
 Hanging out at spot 1A |
 Rwy36R arrival from 1A (100mm) |
 Traffic at the holding bays from 1A (130mm) |
 1A also allows views of Rwy01 arrivals (250mm) |
 Beautiful spot 1B |
 Rwy36R arrival from spot 1B (150mm) |
Spot 1C: Rwy 36R Afternoon Spot
A small hill inside the park located south of Rwy 36R allows views of planes lining up on this runway and approaching it.
A spotter visiting Spot 1C in March 2014 reported no problems with authorities despite several people taking pictures there.
The same is reported by Dennis who visited in October 2014: "At 3pm I went to position 1C. Beautiful park, also good for a picnic. Although it starts to get cold there were several people going for a walk with their dogs. Never seen so much dogs in Beijing so far. Very nice! The place 1C itself is very nice. Good view, seating possibilites and bins downstairs. Very clean as well."
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Exit Terminal 3 at ground level, and walk as shown on the map above through the park. 1.5km/20-25 minutes. |
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Lots of different restaurants available inside the terminal. |
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Under 100mm for approach shots, 300mm for line-ups. |
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Line-ups onto Rwy 36R from the west (Terminal 2) and east (Terminal 3), landings on Rwy 36R |
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Second half of the day |
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Due to the long shooting distance involved in ground shots, heat haze can become a problem |
 Lined up on 36R (300mm) |
 Line-up from the east (300mm) |
 Line-up from the west (300mm) |
 Taxiing to 36R from the west (300mm) |
 Landing on 36R (190mm) |
Spot 2A/2B: Approach/Lineup Rwy 01 from outside Terminal 3
There are two easily accessable points from which arrivals onto Rwy01 and even line-ups can be photographed.
Spot 2A is located on the car ramp leading up to the departure level of terminal 3. The road is wide enough that you can walk away from the terminal along the railing to where you have an open view of arrivals. If you walk a bit further away from the terminal, you can even see aircraft lining up. Due to the long distance involved in this, heat haze can be a problem - especially if aircraft standing at a nearby gate have their APU running.
While during a whole day of spotting standing on this road bridge we didn't have *any* problems with the police (even though they drove by at 5 minute intervals on their way to/from the terminal), it remains a high risk area. Stand there at your own risk. If you feel like you're raising too much suspicion, switch to spot 2B instead and content yourself with only approach shots.
**Confirmed by a visitor using spots 1A/2A in November 2013: Still no problems with police. Thank you for the update, Frank!**
Spot 2B is located at a large parking lot mainly used for busses, a 10 minute walk from the terminal (ground level). Here, standard approach shots can be taken. You can either stand in the shade of the flyover road leading up to the terminal or inside the parking lot.
A spotter visiting Spot 2B in March 2014 reported no problems with authorities despite several people taking pictures there.
Visitor Dennis only spotted on the western side of the car ramp (Spot 1A), but reported that there were no problems during his visit in November 2014.
!!! Note March 2015: A severe traffic accident on the car ramp to Shenzhen Airport, where a car killed 9 persons and wounded 22 when it hit a crowd watching take-offs and landings, has also affected these Beijing spots: According to a source, a sign showing "No Standing Is Allowed" in Chinese has been set up here. It is likely that Spot 2A is gone for good now.
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Take the metro or a taxi to terminal 3. Exit at the departure level for spot 2A (5 minute walk) or at ground level for spot 2B (10 minute walk). |
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Lots of different restaurants available inside the terminal. |
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2A: 100-200mm for approach shots, 250-400mm for aircraft at the holding bays. 2B: 100-200mm for approaching aircraft. |
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Arrivals onto Rwy01 (eastern runway, mostly Star Alliance), restricted views of departures. Possibly low climbouts out of Rwy19 (not tested). |
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Second half of the day. |
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You're standing on the side of a busy road (no sidewalk); heat haze for ground shots. |
 Arrival onto Rwy01 from Spot 2A (120mm) |
 Aircraft holding at Rwy01 from 2A, heat haze (200mm) |
 Taxiing to Rwy01 from Spot 2A (275mm) |
 2A also allows views of 36R arrivals, 36L behind (330mm) |
 Rwy01 arrival from Spot 2B (100mm) |
Spot 2C: Approach Rwy 01 Morning Side
Walking eastwards along the main road running behind Rwy 01 (Siwei Road), you can position yourself for approach shots during the first half of the day.
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Take the metro or a taxi to terminal 3. Exit at ground level and walk as pictured in the map above (2km/25-30min). |
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Lots of different restaurants available inside the terminal. |
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100-200mm for approaching aircraft |
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Arrivals onto Rwy 01 |
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First half of the day. |
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 Arrival onto Rwy 01 (100mm) |
 Arrival onto Rwy 01 (100mm) |
Spot 3: Approach Rwy36L from the CITIC Hotel's rooms (formerly SinoSwiss)
At this good 3.5 star hotel a 10 minute drive from all terminals, the high floor rooms facing west offer a pretty decent view of Rwy36L arrivals. Unfortunately I failed to write down my room number, but over at plane-spotting-hotels.com (a good site to bookmark anyway) room #942 is reported to have good views. At least parts of the room's window can be slid open to allow unobstructed photography.
The photo angle is a *bit* steep, but manageable. Probably photos can also be had from the hotel grounds or the surroundings, however there are quite a few high trees that may block the view (not tried).
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Catch the free hotel shuttle operating from Terminals 2 and 3 (stops located inside the parking garages and extremely hard to find!). |
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Food available at the hotel. |
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120-300mm for approach shots |
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Arrivals onto Rwy36L (western runway) |
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First half of the day. |
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The receptionists' english is somewhat limited; explaining your room preferences and why you need it may take several attempts. |
 Cargo arrivals to 36L... |
 ...from room at the CITIC hotel (285mm) |
 Passenger arrival to Rwy36L (135mm) |
Spot 4: Apron/Taxiway Views from Terminal 2 airside
If you're flying from Terminal 2, check in early and proceed through security fast. Once you're airside, the windows offer views of the (sometimes interesting) aircraft parked at the gates. The southeastern "hammer head" is in a pretty good strategic position next to the main taxiway, where all planes heading from T1 and T2 to Rwy36R for takeoff must pass by.
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Take the metro or a taxi to terminal 2 and proceed through security. |
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Lots of different restaurants available inside the terminal, mostly airside. |
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20-200mm, depending on aircraft's position |
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Aircraft at T2 gates, aircraft taxiing by T2 on the way to Rwy36R, Rwy18L/36R operations |
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Second half of the day (shots below were all taken in the morning though) |
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The glass is relatively clean and appears untinted; however, it is prone to cause distortions especially in higher focal ranges |
 Interesting aircraft abound at the T2 gates (40mm) |
 Aircraft heading to/from (southern) T2 gate (65mm) |
 T1 traffic taxiing to Rwy36R (125mm) |
 View of CZ's preferred A380 stands south of T2 (85mm) |
 Views of Rwy36R departures are possible (65mm) |
Places to stay
Of course there are several hotels around Beijing Airport; pointed out below are three that I deem most useful for planespotting purposes. You find them marked green on the map above.
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CITIC Hotel Beijing Airport (formerly SinoSwiss): 3.5 Stars |
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This hotel (doubling as "Spot 3" above) is located a bit east of the approach path to Rwy36L and offers rooms with views of arriving aircraft (see pictures). This makes it a prime spot to have this runway covered (at least in the first half of the day) without having to venture into any unknown territory. The rooms were fairly large and clean and the windows could be opened. Free half hourly shuttle bus to both terminal complexes (2 and 3). Also check the information about it at plane-spotting-hotels.com . My personal recommendation especially due to the location at the "remote" runway! |
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Langham Place Beijing Airport: 4.5 Stars |
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 © plane-spotting-hotels.com |
This luxurious hotel is located a short 15 minute walk south of Terminal 3, occupying the western of the two L-shaped buildings there, next to a lovely lake. This gives it the perfect location to watch traffic on the central runway, and most possibly also the eastern runway. However, as of fall 2012, the windows cannot be opened enough for photography and the double glass doesn't allow high quality photography. Either photograph through the glass, or head outside to spot 1B which is only a stone's throw from the hotel. Also check the information about it at plane-spotting-hotels.com . |
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Hilton Beijing Airport: 5 Stars |
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I haven't personally visited this hotel nor could I find any information regarding planespotting from the rooms. It is similarly shaped and positioned as the Langham, and located just east of it. This makes it highly likely that rooms facing east should have decent views of traffic arriving to Rwy01, and maybe from rooms facing west traffic approaching 36R can be seen. In any case, it gives you quick access to Terminal 3 and spots 1 and 2. Any feedback welcome! |
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