In this study, a novel separation method deploying, planar air jets was proposed for the dry beneficiation of -6 + 2 mm fine coal and a laboratory separation equipment was established. The separation principle of this method was based on the separation of horizontal movement trajectories of coal particles depending on the density differences when passing through the flow field of a planar air jet. The effects of operational parameters, including air jet velocity, air jet angle, feeding height, and feeding rate, on the beneficiation performance were experimentally studied and the results showed that all of these parameters had significant effects to varying degrees. The results also showed that the separation accuracy, the probable error E, is 0.2, indicating that this method can effectively beneficiate fine coal in a dry way. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.