Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is about 16 km southwest of downtown Chengdu. Tianfu Square is roughly 30 to 40 minutes away by road, depending on traffic, and Kuanzhai Alley about 20 km. Metro Line 10 runs from both terminals to Taipingyuan, where you can change to other lines into the center, in about 30 minutes.

Chengdu has two passenger airports. Shuangliu (CTU) is the older one, about 16 km southwest of the center, and now handles mostly domestic flights plus many flights to Hong Kong, Macau and Taipei. Tianfu (TFU), which opened in 2021 about 50 km southeast of the center, handles long-haul international flights and many domestic routes. Check the three-letter code on your ticket.

Yes, regional ones. Since 30 July 2026 most flights between Chengdu and Hong Kong, Macau and Taipei use the renovated international hall at Shuangliu Terminal 1, operated by seven airlines including Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, China Airlines and Sichuan Airlines. Long-haul intercontinental flights remain at Tianfu, and some regional flights also still use Tianfu, so check your ticket.

Shuangliu has two passenger terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, each with its own Metro Line 10 station. Terminal 1 is used by Sichuan Airlines and by the flights to Hong Kong, Macau and Taipei, through its international hall. Terminal 2 handles domestic flights of airlines such as Air China, China Eastern and China Southern. Your boarding pass shows the terminal.

Sichuan Airlines, Air China, Chengdu Airlines and Tibet Airlines use Shuangliu as a hub, and China Eastern, China Southern, Shenzhen Airlines and Loong Air also fly here. Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, Air Macau, China Airlines and EVA Air serve Hong Kong, Macau and Taipei. Most routes link Chengdu with other cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lhasa.

Yes. Metro Line 10 has a station under each terminal, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of Shuangliu International Airport, and runs to Taipingyuan in about 30 minutes. At Taipingyuan you can change to Line 3 and other lines toward the city center. The metro does not run through the night, so check last train times if you land late.

Yes. Shuangliu Airport railway station, on the Chengdu–Mianyang–Leshan intercity line, has an entrance on level B2 of Terminal 2. Trains run to Chengdu South and Chengdu East, and some continue south to Meishan, Leshan and Emeishan or north to Deyang and Mianyang, which is useful for travelers heading straight to Leshan or Mount Emei.

Official taxis wait at marked stands outside the arrivals level of both terminals; at Terminal 2 they are outside Arrivals Hall gates 4 and 5. Join the official line and make sure the meter is used. Turn down drivers who approach you inside the terminal and offer rides, and have your hotel address written in Chinese to show the driver.

Allow plenty of time, because the two airports are on opposite sides of Chengdu and a connection between them means leaving one airport, crossing the city by road or rail, and checking in again. Most travelers use a taxi or a pre-booked car. If your ticket connects CTU and TFU, check that the schedule leaves enough time for the transfer.

It depends on your nationality and where you arrive from. Citizens of many countries can enter China visa-free for short stays, and eligible travelers can use visa-free transit on the way to a third country; others need a visa. Foreign visitors arriving from Hong Kong, Macau or Taipei pass border inspection at Terminal 1 and complete an arrival card, which can be filled in online.

Chengdu is on China Standard Time, UTC+8, all year, with no daylight saving time. The currency is the Chinese yuan (CNY), and most payments in China are made with Alipay or WeChat Pay by QR code, so link an international card to one of them before you fly and carry some cash for small purchases.

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport handled about 33.5 million passengers and about 222,600 aircraft movements in 2025, along with about 735,600 tons of cargo. It has two parallel runways, each 3,600 m long, and remains a base for Sichuan Airlines, Air China, Chengdu Airlines and Tibet Airlines alongside the newer Tianfu airport.