DarkBlueScenery has recently released their rendition of Beijing Capital International Airport (ZBAA) for X-Plane 11 & 12, one of the two international airports serving the Metropolitan Area of Beijing, in China. Pre-pandemic, the passenger figures sat at a whopping 100 million passengers annually (2018), placing it among the busiest in Asia. 

Opened in March 1958, the airport initially had a single terminal building and a 2,500-meter runway. It was extended to 3,200 meters in 1966 and 3,800 meters in 1982. The second runway was built in 1978, 3,200 meters long. Around that same period came the new Terminal 1, large enough for 12 aircraft but soon proven inadequate given the traffic boom in the 1990s, justifying further expansion that came to fruition in 1999, with the opening of Terminal 2 and a total renovation of Terminal 1. 

The Beijing Olympics called for further expansion work to handle all the extra work, bringing a new runway and a new terminal (T3), which was the largest man-made structure in the World in terms of area coverage. After hosting the Olympics, it quickly rose to the top among the busiest airports in Asia, surpassing Tokyo Haneda.

It’s a hub for Air China and Hainan Airlines, offering a broad domestic and international route network. It’s visited by many airlines from all over the World, including Air France, Cathay Pacific, Egyptair, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Japan Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, and Turkish Airlines. Cargo-wise, it houses Air China Cargo and China Postal Airlines and gets visited by many cargo carriers from all over, including Cargolux, FedEx, Lufthansa Cargo, and Singapore Airlines Cargo.

The scenery features an accurate rendition of the airport, with custom ground markings, high-detail 3D model of the terminal, cargo buildings, custom night lighting, updated ground layout, and more.

It’s available on SimMarket for roughly $16.99, requiring at least 1.31 GB of free hard disk space to install.

Stay tuned to Threshold for more flight simulation news!

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