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Data source: OurAirports (2026-09-01 Snapshot) · Methodology & Verification →

Beijing Capital International Airport

Beijing, Beijing Municipality (China)

IATA: PEK ICAO: ZBAA

Longest Active Runway

12,467 ft

3,800 meters

Field Elevation

116 ft

35 m MSL

Runway Inventory

3 active

Lighted / Paved

Coordinates & Class

40.0773°, 116.5967°

LARGE AIRPORT

🏆

Multi-Universe Rankings & Statistical Standing

Ranking Universes Guide →

RunwayFacts Published Dataset

#125 of 650

In curated primary commercial index

Global Commercial Universe

#203 of 7558

Top 2.8% percentile worldwide

National Standing (China)

#13 in CN

#24 of 264 in full national registry

vs Large Airport Median

+24.7%

Compared to 10,000 ft baseline

💡 Statistical Statement: Beijing Capital International Airport's longest active runway measures 12,467 ft (3,800 m). Within RunwayFacts' published index of 650 aerodromes, it ranks #125. Across the broader global dataset of 7558 commercial facilities, it ranks #203 worldwide (Top 2.8%) and #13 nationally in China.

🔬 Operational & Aerodrome Engineering Comparative Analysis

Comparative aviation metrics evaluated against regional and global physical operational criteria.

ICAO Code 4E / 4F Super-Heavy

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Elevation & Atmospheric Density

Lowland / Coastal Basin Aerodrome

Positioned at 116 ft (35 m MSL), this aerodrome operates near standard International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) sea-level air density. High ambient air pressure provides optimal turbine thrust conversion, maximum wing lift coefficients, and minimal ground roll distance requirements, allowing long-haul flights to depart at maximum structural takeoff weight limits without atmospheric density penalties.

🧭

Regional Density & Alternates (100 NM)

2 Qualifying Aerodromes in Vicinity

Beijing Capital International Airport serves as the primary heavy aerodrome in its regional cluster. Its longest runway (12,467 ft) exceeds all 2 qualifying commercial aerodromes within 100 NM, establishing it as the designated regional alternate and priority diversion threshold for widebody traffic encountering in-flight abnormalities.

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Fleet Compatibility & Ground Roll

Primary Runway: 12,467 ft (3,800 m)

With its longest runway exceeding 10,500 ft (3,800 m) and paved surface engineering, Beijing Capital International Airport meets the operational runway criteria for unrestricted long-haul operations by Code 4E and 4F heavy widebody aircraft, including the Airbus A380-800, Boeing 747-8, Airbus A350-1000, and Boeing 777-300ER at high operational weights.

🛫 Physical Runway Inventory & Surface Engineering

Runway Designator	Length (ft / m)	Width (ft / m)	Surface Material	Lighting	Status
18L/36R	12,467 ft (3800m)	197 ft (60m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
01/19	12,467 ft (3800m)	197 ft (60m)	`Concrete (CON)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
18R/36L	10,499 ft (3200m)	164 ft (50m)	`Permanent Paved (PEM)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active

🧭 Comparative Aerodromes (100 NM Radius, ≥5,000 ft Paved)

Great-circle Haversine spatial proximity matching for commercial facilities with paved runway capacity within 100 NM.

Aerodrome Name	IATA	Distance	Longest Runway	Lighting
Beijing Daxing International Airport (Beijing)	`PKX`	35.6 NM (65.9 km)	12,467 ft	✅ Lighted
Tianjin Binhai International Airport (Tianjin)	`TSN`	66.9 NM (123.9 km)	11,811 ft	✅ Lighted

🛡️ Data Provenance & Verification Metadata

Source Dataset: OurAirports Open Aviation Database

Snapshot Version: 2026-09-01

Dataset Integrity: Cryptographic SHA-256 Checksum Verified & Fail-Closed Schema Inspected

Source Verification: Source-reported registry data

Read Complete Methodology & Verification Protocol → GET /api/airport/pek.json ↗