On this day, 45 years ago, on January 1, 1980 (November 14, 1979, the Capital International Airport was officially opened. Capital International Airport was officially opened on January 1, 1980. Capital International Airport Beijing Capital International Airport is "China's No. 1 Gate" and is the most important, largest, most advanced equipment, and busiest large international airport in China. It is China's air gateway and an important window for foreign exchanges. Beijing Capital International Airport was built in 1958 and has been in operation for more than 50 years. With the pace of history, it has always moved forward with its head held high. Especially since the reform and opening up, with the rapid development of China's economy and thanks to Beijing's unique political, economic, cultural and geographical advantages, the annual passenger throughput of Beijing Capital International Airport has increased from 1.03 million in 1978 to 83.71 million in 2013, currently ranking second in the world. In order to meet the growing demand of passengers, Beijing Capital International Airport has carried out eight large-scale renovations and expansions in three phases since 1965. On January 1, 1980, Terminal 1 with an area of 61580 square meters was officially opened. On November 1, 1999, Terminal 2, with a terminal area of 336,000 square meters, was fully put into operation. Since the construction started on March 28, 2004, after three years and nine months of hard work, Beijing Capital International Airport has completed the construction of Terminal 3, the largest single terminal in the world, at a good and fast "China Speed." Subsequently, in less than two months of trial operation, Beijing Capital International Airport fully organized six large-scale drills with nearly 10,000 people, and finally achieved successful reception and smooth operation of Terminal 3, winning high praise from its peers around the world. Since then, Beijing Capital International Airport's hardware resources have been effectively expanded, becoming the first and only airport in the Asia-Pacific region with three terminals, three runways, and twin towers operating at the same time, and entering the world's super-large airport ranks. As a core node in Europe, Asia and North America, Beijing Capital International Airport has a unique geographical location, convenient and fast transfer processes, and close and efficient collaborative cooperation, making it the most convenient aviation hub connecting the three major aviation markets of Asia, Europe and the United States. Major domestic airlines in China such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines have set up operating bases at Beijing Capital International Airport. Star Alliance, SkyTeam Alliance and OneWorld, the world's three major aviation alliances, also regard Beijing Capital International Airport as an important transit hub. With the formation of an increasingly complete international route network, Beijing Capital International Airport has become one of the busiest airports in the world. Nearly 1700 flights from 92 airlines every day closely connect Beijing with 243 airports around the world. "China's No. 1 Gate" is making great strides towards the goal of building a large international hub airport!