PEK-Spot1 Alternative
Payerne Air Force Base Spotting Guide
September 15, 2014
Abu Dhabi Airport Spotting Guide
September 20, 2014Beijing Capital Intl. Airport Spotting Guide
at
- last modified on November 2, 2020
Beijing Capital International Airport is currently the second busiest airport in the world and the busiest in Asia. It handled 100.1 million passengers in 2018 and traffic is split on three runways, of which the last was only recently opened in 2007. Even though arrivals are often split on all three runways, you will catch lots of movements, due to the extremely high traffic. With the opening of the new Daxin airport in China, lots of carriers moved away from PEK like China Southern, China United and more SkyTeam carriers.
Capital Airport is the main gateway to the Chinese capital city and a major hub for the four major Chinese airlines: Air China, China Eastern and Hainan. There are also plenty of other Chinese airlines serving the airport like Capital, Chongqing, Shandong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Sichuan or Xiamen Airlines. And of course you will see lots of international traffic from all over the world, with most major carriers flying at least once a day to PEK.
Cargo operations are not as strong as passenger traffic, but you can see a few local carriers like Donghai, SF Airlines, Yangtze River Express and some China Postal which mostly operate flights in the morning. Use the official airport website for scheduled and estimated times on these flights.
There is one major drawback to spotting in Beijing. Even though the weather is generally pretty good and the area enjoys a great deal of sunshine over the year, the city (and the airport as well) frequently suffers from extreme air pollution (smog), which makes spotting terribly difficult, as the sun can be blocked out and/or you will often only have a gray or white background in your images.
Most locations around the airport are on the south side, so when landings from the south are in progress. This is the best direction for spotting and this guide primarily deals with these ops. PEK mainly operates in the northernly direction (i.e. landings/take-offs from south to north) due to the restrictions of airspace. In general, Beijing is a very spotter friendly airport and you need not worry about getting into trouble with the police.
General tips for China
Some websites and app don’t work in China (like Whattsap or Facebook/Messanger ecc.) so you might need a list of useful apps:
- WeChat: every Chinese person has this app, it also has a good translation function that helps really a lot because the language is the main barrier. You can translate from Chinese writings and they can translate your English into Chinese characters. This is a must have.
- Didi: the Chinese “Uber”
- Mobike: If you need to rent a bike (not totally needed in Sanya)
- Baidu Maps: This is the “Google Maps” that works, instead of the Google one
We recommend to buy a prepaid card at the airport during transit as the chance to talk to an english speaking seller is much bigger there.
Written by Jan Seba, Yixin Chen, Mao Ting and Thomas Okaty. All spots checked February 2020
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather |  |
| Visitor Rating How was your trip? Rate this airport! |
  (20 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading... |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 18L/36R | 3.810 m (12.500 ft) |
| 18R/36L | 3.445 m (11.302 ft) |
| 01/19 | 3.810 m (12.500 ft) |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal 1 | Domestic Chinese carriers, primarily Hainan, also Capital, Grand China or Tianjin, located on the western side of the airport. |
| Terminal 2 | SkyTeam, primarily China Eastern, also most of the “rare” airlines like Iran Air, Air Koryo, etc. |
| Terminal 3 | Star Alliance and OneWorld (except AA), primarily Air China, Shandong, Sichuan. Also some other carriers like Emirates or Etihad. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not required. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is not required. Taxi is a good choice, but make sure the driver uses the taximeter. Most short drives around the airport are less than 2 Euros. It is advisable to prepare some maps at home to show to the taxi driver. Make sure the maps have the written name (in Chinese!) of the location (or streets) where you want to go. Do not expect taxi drivers to speak English. Though some of them know one or two words it will never be enough so that you explain where you want to go.
Another alternative to get around PEK is metro+bike. There are rental bikes distributed around the airport area, mostly MoBike and ofo. You can download their apps in advance and ride wherever you’d like to go. The cost is only 1 CNY per hour. Metro is also useful for spotting at PEK. For locations near T3, you can simply take Airport Express line to Terminal 3 and then walk/bike to those locations. For locations near the west runway, you can take Subway Line 15 to China International Exhibition Center or Hualikan and then ride/taxi to the locations. |
| Restrooms | The terminal is close to a few locations and offers restrooms. Otherwise there is nothing at most of the locations. |
| Drinks/Food | Take drinks and snacks with you, but you can buy things in the terminal if you are close. |
| Hotels | There are a few hotels in the area around the airport, but some of them are in an industrial area, where you will hardly find supermarkets and restaurants. The area to the southeast (where the CITIC is located) has some good opportunities. There’s also a spotting hotel near Terminal 2, see location #10. |
| Season | Season is a difficult topic in PEK. In recent years, the government in Beijing has made huge efforts in improving the air quality, especially in winter. Besides, Beijing usually witnesses strong wind in winter, which likely results in clear days. I would recommend winter although the days are relatively short. North-south operations often happen in spring and the weather in spring is not that bad. So spring is also a good season to visit PEK. The summertime from June to August records the highest amount of precipitation. Furthermore, Beijing is usually smoggy and way too hot in summer. Autumn (especailly late autumn) is simillar to spring, except less southernly operations. In summary, October – April are good months to visit PEK. |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | In general, all runways are used for arrivals and departures, though some carriers have preferences due to the location of their terminal, those are noted accordingly. If you are after a special movements, which is only once or a few times a week, look up aviation photos online of these specific movements in PEK, sometimes the uploader wrote a comment, which RWY was used and you can get a feeling, where it will most likely land. Air Kyoto nearly always uses 01 landing. Most of the governmental/military or any rare visitors use the middle runway for landings/take-offs. Remember all the comments from below are based on impressions and they can be false or the system in PEK might have changed over the time. Another tip worth mentioning is that even PEK sometimes operates southernly, the operation nearly only changes in the afternoons. |
| 18L/36R | Main departure runway, which is also used for landings in peak periods. In the morning it is very busy with departures and handles only a handful of arrivals and gets busier with arrivals starting noon. |
| 18R/36L | Preferred runway for China Eastern, Hainan and most SkyTeam carriers. Also often used for international arrivals, regardless of terminal location, so you can see for example United or Turkish Airlines here. This is also the main cargo runway. Usually handles more arrivals than departures. |
| 01/19 | Preferred runway for Air China, Shandong, Shenzhen and often Star Alliance carriers. Emirates A380 also tends to land here. Seems to handle more arrivals than departures. |
Due to national security concerns, the use of geographic information in China is restricted and the layers in google maps don´t fit. The satellite images are correct but the street layers are displaced!
Please click on the link at each location (WHERE) to get to the chinese website baidu where you find an exact map with satellite and street view images. If you use a smartphone please download the Baidu App.
By loading the map, you agree to Google's privacy policy.
Learn more
Field – 01 Arrivals Morning
| WHERE | The location is on Siwei Rd. From the airport it is about a 30 minute walk. If you feel confident enough to use a taxi, make sure to download the “Didi” app (similar like Uber and Lyft in the US or Grab in Southeast Asia) prior to your trip. This will ensure that the taxi driver will pick you up or drop you off at the exact location and the language barrier won’t become an issue. |
| WHAT | You can shoot the arrivals on RWY 01 here and you can vary your location according to your preferences for angle and distance. |
| TIME | Light conditions are good from sunrise until 11 AM. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 110mm for a B772 and 190mm for an A320. |
Parking Lot – 01 Arrivals Evening
| WHERE | Even though it’s possible to drive directly to this location, it is probably easier to let the taxi driver drop you off at the Terminal. From there descend (inside the terminal) to ground level and walk a small pathway towards the parking lot. Stay within the grass area and do not shoot from the parking lot itself, as people have been sent away from there.
Update: Possibly the grass area is now also off limits in case you are asked to move from here just go to the walkway or closer to the RWY threshold. |
| WHAT | You can shoot the arrivals on RWY 01. From the airport feeder ramp you could theoretically also shoot lineups, but they are very far away and pictures will be prone to heat haze. Furthermore you will have trouble shooting the aircraft without obstructions in your picture. |
| TIME | Light conditions are good from 2:30 PM until sunset. |
| MISC. | There are rubbish bins at the location and everything else is in the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100mm for a B772 and 175mm for an A320. |
T3 East Departure Bridge - 01 arrivals/line-up
| WHERE | From T3 Departure entrances, go eastbound along the road for vehicles. There isn’t a pedestrian but you can still walk along the bridge carefully. When you walk out of the noise protection panels, you can stay beside the road and take photos of finals and line-ups of Runway 01. |
| WHAT | Landings and line-ups of 01. This is an alternative of Spot #2. Views are higher and you are able to get the background buildings into your pictures. |
| TIME | Light conditions are good from 2:30 PM until sunset. Lineups are only available on winter due to the sun position |
| MISC. | Everything you need is in the terminal. Although it is not forbidden to stay there, please do always keep a low profile and be careful about the vehicles passing by. Also noted it is not allowed to stay at the west side of the bridge. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-150mm for side-on landing shots, 250mm+ for line-ups |
Park – 36R Arrivals Morning
| WHERE | Even though it’s possible to drive directly to this location, it is probably easier to let the taxi driver drop you off at Terminal 3. From there descend (inside the terminal) to ground level and walk a couple of small pathways to the park. Once you’re there just shoot over the water and you won’t have any obstructions. |
| WHAT | From here you can shoot the arrivals on RWY 36, but as mentioned under Runway Usage, this runway is not very busy in the morning, but if you are hoping for a special highlight, this might be the place to be. |
| TIME | Light conditions are good from sunrise until 11 AM. |
| MISC. | Shops and restrooms are in the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Not tested, but should be less than 200mm for an A320. |
Park Hill – 36R Arrivals Evening, Lineups
| WHERE | In the small park south of the airport there is a hill, which offers a nice elevated location for you. The best way the get here is most likely by trying to show the taxi driver the crossing between Erwei and Yijing Rd. If that fails, just let him drive you to the Terminal and walk from there to the location, it’s not that far. |
| WHAT | Good for shooting RWY 36R arrivals in the evening, when the runway gets more traffic. But the airplanes are relatively high here, so the angle is worse compared to all the other locations. As a small bonus this is probably the best location to take lineup shots on 36R, but you will also face heat haze around noon for that. |
| TIME | Light conditions are good from 2:30 PM until sunset for arrivals and lineups can be good all day (except early morning) depending on how you like to shoot them. |
| MISC. | There are benches and rubbish bins in the park. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50 – 300mm
MU A330 = 60mm / CA B737 = 85mm / SDA B737 = 100mm / CA B737 = 300mm / CA B777 = 60mm / Private Jet = 155mm |
Road Intersection – 36L Arrivals Morning
| WHERE | You will find this location at a large intersection of the Tianbei Rd. Most taxi drivers will know this road, so it will be relatively easy to get here. You just have to tell them to stop once you are close to the spot. The best place to shoot is a small grass strip east of the intersection and behind the traffic lights, where you do not disturb anyone and the traffic and lamp posts don’t disturb you. |
| WHAT | Good location for shooting 36L in the morning, where you can catch most of the cargo arrivals. |
| TIME | Light conditions are good from sunrise until 11 AM all year round. |
| MISC. | It can happen that the security guard from the company next door approaches you and wants to know what you are doing, but they should be ok with you after they know that you are shooting pictures of the airplanes. Other than that, there is nothing useful at this location. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 130mm for a B744 and 240mm for an A320. |
China Inn Hotel - 36L arrivals
| WHERE | It is an alternative to spot 6. The intersection at spot 6 is a very traffic crowdy and noisy place with just a small place to stay over the grass, attracting the attention of the police. Moreover the aircraft are quite far away and long lenses are needed. Just walking 100 m on Tiambei Rd, there is a small road on the right called Tianzhou Rd. Still 100 m and on your right there a hotel/residence called China Inn. There you can stop and take photos at the landing planes from a very favourable angle, with shorter focals. |
| WHAT | 36L landings only. |
| TIME | Light conditions are good from sunrise until 11 AM all year round. |
| MISC. | There is the China Inn hotel next to you. It have windows openable but we did not try it. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A20N = 155mm; A333 = 100mm |
Overpass Bridge - 36L arrivals
| WHERE | There is also a good spotting location for 36L arrivals from noon to sunset. Just follow Tianbei Rd (beginning at location #5) westwards until you see a pedestrian overpass. Climb up the ramp (or the staircase) to the overpass on the south side of Tianbei Rd. and position yourself right up on top of the ramp. Moreover, for people without private cars, this spot is easier to arrive by public transport than #9 which offers almost the same sight.
If you need help finding the location go to https://www.google.cn/maps and punch in (copy-paste) 天竺幼儿园停车场 (Tianzhu Kindergarten Parking Lot). It’s right next to the overpass (also on the south side). |
| WHAT | 36L landing |
| TIME | All year round, from noon to evening. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby, bring everything you need. There is a pbulic toilet 50 meters to the west. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 772 = 140mm; A321 = 230mm |
Leisure Park - 36L arrivals
| WHERE | A small leisure park is being built in the north of Fuqian 2nd Street and offers nice photo opportunities and is an alternative to the previous location. Write in Chinese is “府前二街”, where the view is wide and the environment is good. If you drive there, you can put it in a small car park on the side of the road. If you can find the overpass at #8, then turn right at the intersection from #8 to the west, and then turn right at the intersection, you will see an open park. If you take a taxi, you can tell the driver to go to the capital airport store of the pudding hotel. |
| WHAT | 36L landing and 18R takeoff. |
| TIME | All year round, from noon to evening. |
| MISC. | There are restaurants and hotels across the road. You can find toilets. This is a park, so no one will pay attention to what you are doing. You can stay here easily. There is no need for ladders. Don’t worry about plants in winter. There will be 40cm tall grass on the slope in summer, which needs to be mosquito proof. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 787–85mm，A332–100mm，A321–135mm |
Green Tree Inn Beijing Capital Airport Terminal Express Hotel
| WHERE | Located between T1/T2 and 36L/18R, it is the best spotting hotel around PEK. Room #506 is designed for spotting. In this room you can open the window and its enough space for 2-3 persons. |
| WHAT | All morning movements on 36L and the nearby taxiway. Night shots of the aircraft in the ramp are also possible. Sight can be interrupted by parked aircafts on the ramp. |
| TIME | Light conditions are good from (night)sunrise until 11 AM. |
| MISC. | Everything you need is in the hotel. The staffs don´t really speak english and it is highly recommended to check the availability of Room #506 with the hotel in advance. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm |
Air China Cargo - 19 arrivals
| WHERE | This location is on the opposite side of the Air China Cargo entrance which is located on the north side of the airport. To get there, copy-paste 北京天竺综合保税区(航港二路) into Baidu maps. The spot itself is along the main road on a grassy area where you can park as well. |
| WHAT | All arrivals on Runway 19 |
| TIME | Light conditions are good from 2:30 PM until sunset. |
| MISC. | There’s nothing there, bring everything you need. Probably some planes are too low and you will have parts of the fence in your picture. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A380/77W=180mm; 738=300mm |
Parking Lot - 36R departures
| WHERE | Continue from #11 southwards and pass the Air China Cargo complex 北京天竺综合保税区(航港二路). After that there is a small parking lot to your right. You can park here directly if you have a car. By cab tell the driver to kick you out at the Air China Cargo complex and you walk to this place. |
| WHAT | Heavy departures on runway 36R. |
| TIME | From sunrise until late morning. |
| MISC. | There’s nothing there, bring everything you need. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A380=180mm |
56 Comments
Hello, I’m a local in Beijing. After watching the Beijing Capital Intl. Airport spotting guide, I found some mistakes and some changes by 2020 / 10.
Some things have changed in spotting information and runway usage. Since October 26, 2020, China Southern Airlines will no longer operate at Beijing Capital International Airport, and all routes will be transferred to Beijing Daxing International Airport. The weather in Beijing has been greatly improved, and there is little haze. Now spot
1 has been unable to shoot, try not to steal the past, but alternative locations can still be shot. Try not to shoot in spot 3, it is very dangerous, there may be police to drive you, please be careful shooting. Spot 10 can’t be photographed now. High fences have been built here, and the mounds have been leveled.
The above are some changes and mistakes I found. I am a Chinese, English is not very good, there may be some grammatical errors and inaccurate expression, please forgive me, thank you
shooting means take photos
There’s a nice new location to offer, I’ve been there several times myself, but I can’t provide information through the link above.
Hi, you can send me a mail to info@spotterguide.net with the infos/GPS and photos.
Thanks, Julian
I have sent you an email. Have a nice day.
RIP
You know what I meant by this😭😭
Be sure to contact some friends at PEK before spotting so that you will not be confusing.
Really no more spotting location at 36L and on the bridge.
Could you write more what happened at PEK?
Tony,
Can you please elaborate in more detail? According to a local spotter, who I am in touch with frequently, everything is fine with that location on the bridge (spot #7, if that is the location you are referring to).
Thanks,
Thomas
– spotterguide.net crew –
I’m the local one. There’s a new spot for 36R arrivals. It’s at the bus stop Gangshanlu and the focal length is the same as Spot #5. Also Spot #5 will probably be closed by the police when a government plane arrives. Additionally, now all the planes in 36L are not heavy.
Hi Sun
I arrive in Pek at 18 August on spot 5 just closed by the police is just because of the government airplanes but always open rigth.
Thanks
Joao santos
Hi Sun i am travelling to beijing in April for 5 days spotting i am hoping to spot from location 5 in the park, are there good locations if landing on runway 19
Spot1 was not available. Because I was refused by the security guard man. at the day of 13.1.2019
Spot2 parking lot was very good. It takes few minutes from T3 by walk. I shoot many aircrafts Landing RWY 01 clearly.
Hi Taro,
Did you try to drive or walk to spot #1? A local spotter told me, that the latter is still tolerated, but they won’t let you drive to the location any longer.
Thanks,
Thomas
Hi All, I was in Beijing earlier this week. Spent my time at the mound area which was very good, although a bit cold. 🙂 Friendly locals and quite a few photographers.
There are now no more views from landside departures in T3 as they have used frosted glass where there used to be views onto the ramps closest to checkin and the thresholds.
Hi Hkgspotter, I will be spotting at PEK on the 12 & 13th of March and I was hoping to spot from the ” mound “. Can you please advise which number is relevant to the mound in the above information. I am not that worried about photography, cheers.
Roger.
Spot 5.
Thanks, that looks good for us, to get there if we turn left out of the terminal and walk we should come to it, I believe. Cheers for the help.
If it is Terminal 3, you should go to the Ground Floor and turn right. Just follow the road / cross the roads and keep going towards the park (you should be able to see it on your maps). Head into the park at the earliest entrance and make your way to the spotting mound (#Spot 5). It’s about 20 minutes walk.
The park will be closed if there are special events or movements.
Don”t stay near the fence as they will make announcements (in putonghua) to tell you to move back and may send a guard. You can spot on the mound / (or away from the perimeter fence) with no disturbance at all.
Once more many thanks. We will be on the mound hopefully on the 12 & 13 of March.
Hi hong kong spotter i am travelling to beijing in April for 5 days spotting i am hoping to spot from location 5 in the park, are there good locations if landing on runway 19 also is there any spits for landing on 36L
There is also a good spotting location for 36L arrivals from noon to sunset. Just follow Tianbei Rd (beginning at location #5) westwards until you see a pedestrian overpass. Climb up the ramp (or the staircase) to the overpass on the south side of Tianbei Rd. and position yourself right up on top of the ramp.
If you need help finding the location go to https://www.google.cn/maps and punch in (copy-paste) 天竺幼儿园停车场 (Tianyi Kindergarten Parking Lot). It’s right next to the overpass (also on the south side). I was fortunate to meet a local spotter at location #1, who took me to this location, but most hotel staff (at least the ones working for international chains) should be able to explain the taxi driver where you want to go.
If you need sample pics, just let me know … was there in November last year.
Thomas
I thomas can you send me pictures on that location I go to Pek next year in august
This is my email joaoassantos1980@hotmail.com
Thanks
Hi, this position has already been added to the guide. Have a look at #7.
-Julian
Thanks julian
Hi Thomas I am travelling to beijing in April 2019 can you advise if the door in the park is good for photography or is there a better location
Does anyone have adresses in Chinese for the different spotting locations?
Try https://www.google.cn/maps. Thats the chinese version of google maps and you can see the street names in their language.
-Julian
Hi Julian I am travelling to beijing April 2019 for 5 days spotting, are there zny good positionz gor kandjng traffic on R36. I have seen videos of landing traffic there seems to be high fences around touch down points
Regards
Hi hong kong spotter i am travelling to beijing in April for 5 days spotting i am hoping to spot from location 5 in the park, are there good locations if landing on runway 19 also is there any spits for landing on 36L
Going to PEK next week. Want to prepare some maps for taxi driver. Is google maps reliable for this area? When I use the sattelite layer the the roads dosen’t match the lines frome google. Does anyone have a location for 36L morning arrivals?
Hi Stian!
Had similar problems, that’s why I used an app, which was able to say the chinese words for the englich ones and showed prints of google maps, but no satelite. I recommend to write all important street names down and to have all destinations with you in chinese.
Yes, spot #5 for 36L morning arrivals!
Regards, Severin
Wich app is that?
Sorry, can’t remember :/
北京市顺义区府前一街1号 copy this in Baidu maps or Tencent Maps and it should bring you there.
Thanks for the help, HNAPilot!
-Severin
Regarding spot 2, i followed your advised and stay at grass area. However the car park attendant asked me to moved back to the walk path instead as the grass area is private property. I then walked towards the runway and stayed near the fence. No problem there.
Thanks for the report, I have added a remark in the guide!
Best regards
Jan