Chengdu Tianfu International Airport

For the airport in urban Chengdu, see Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (IATA: TFU, ICAO: ZUTF; also known as Tianfu Airport) is one of two international airports serving Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwestern China. It was planned in 2013 and opened in 2021 as Chengdu Shuangliu Airport was exceeding its designed maximum passenger capacity for years.

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport 成都天府国际机场
Aerial view of the airport in 2021
IATA: TFU ICAO: ZUTF
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Sichuan Provincial Airport Group
Serves	Chengdu
Location	Lujia Town, Jianyang, Sichuan, China
Opened	27 June 2021; 4 years ago (2021-06-27)
Hub for	Air China Chengdu Airlines China Eastern Airlines SF Airlines Sichuan Airlines
Elevation AMSL	440 m / 1,444 ft
Coordinates	30.319°N 104.445°E / 30.319; 104.445
Website	sctfia.com
Maps
Airport map
TFU/ZUTF Location in Sichuan Show map of Sichuan TFU/ZUTF Location in China Show map of China
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 01/19 4,000[1] 13,123 Concrete 02/20 3,200[2] 10,499 Concrete 11 A 3,800 12,467 Concrete
Statistics (2024)
Passengers 54,905,784 Aircraft movements 378,798 Cargo (in tons) 384,923
Source: List of the busiest airports in China A:^ used for take-offs in one direction only

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
Simplified Chinese	成都天府国际机场
Traditional Chinese	成都天府國際機場
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chéngdū Tiānfǔ Guójì Jīchǎng Wade–Giles Chʻeng-tu Tʻien-fu Kuo-chi Chi-chʻang

The airport is located at Lujia Town of Jianyang, 51 km (32 mi) southeast of downtown Chengdu. The construction of this airport began in May 2016, and the airport opened in June 2021. Chengdu is the third city in China to have dual international airports after Beijing and Shanghai.^[3]

In 2023, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport together handled a total of 538,000 flight takeoffs and landings, with a passenger volume of 74.924 million. The annual passenger volume makes Chengdu 3rd among the cities with airport systems in China.^[4] Chengdu Tianfu International Airport alone ranks 39th between the busiest airports in the world, the fifth-busiest in China when ranked by passenger traffic (44,786,101 passengers in 2023 alone).

History

Plans for a new airport for Chengdu had been in place since 2007.^[5] In May 2011, officials confirmed the planning process for selecting a location had started.^[5] In June 2013, the Civil Aviation Administration of China officially confirmed and approved Jianyang's Lujia Town as the location for the new airport.^[5]

In January 2015, the State Council and Central Military Commission approved the new airport project,^[5] and the official name Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (Chinese: 成都天府国际机场) was finalized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in September 2015.^[6][5] In January 2021, flight testing was done^[7][8] and on 27 June 2021, the first commercial flight departed from the airport.^[9] On the same day, Terminal 2 officially entered service.^[10][11]

Terminal 2 serves domestic flights while Terminal 1 serves mostly international flights, though it also serves some domestic flights.^[12] The domestic section of Terminal 1 is connected to Terminal 2 via an Innovia automated people mover (APM) for transferring passengers arriving on international flights with domestic connections.^[13][14]

Design

The airport is intended to become the third-largest airport hub in China, after Beijing and Shanghai. The airport opened with three runways (two north-south and one east-west) with two terminals with a capacity of 60 million passengers per year by 2025 and a cargo capacity of 24.45 thousand tonnes.^[15]

The full plan includes six runways and four terminals with the capacity to handle 90 million passengers per year.^[16] On June 1, 2015, the Sichuan Provincial Airport Group announced a general design scheme for the airport. The winning design was by China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute, China Airport Construction Group Corporation, and French architectural firm ADP Ingenierie.

The airport features two terminal buildings in the shape of the mythical Sunbird, used as a logo for the city of Chengdu. From a central hollow circular core, six arms radiate outwards with both terminals mirroring the other.^[17]

• 
  Terminal 1 (int'l departures)
• 
  Terminal 1 landside
• 
  T1 Main Concourse
• 
  Airside of Terminal 1
• 
  Terminal 1 Int‘l Departure Concourse
• 
  Terminal 2 (domestic departures)
• 
  Airside of Terminal 2
• 
  Baggage claim area of T2

Airlines and destinations

Tianfu International Airport is a major base for Air China. The flag carrier operates maintenance facilities, a 1,500-bed staff hostel, and a 2,950 m² (31,800 sq ft) lounge at the airport.^[15] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport did not operate international flights until 26 March 2023, taking over most international and cargo routes from Shuangliu International Airport, with the latter specializing in domestic flights.^[18] Beginning on March 28, 2023, Air China will change the flight to Taipei Taoyuan from Chengdu Shuangliu to Chengdu Tianfu.^[19]

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
9 Air	Guangzhou, Sanya[20]
AirAsia X	Kuala Lumpur–International
Air China	Aksu,[21] Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Beihai, Beijing–Capital, Beijing–Daxing, Changchun, Changsha, Changzhou, Colombo–Bandaranaike, Dali, Dalian,[21] Daocheng, Dongying, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, Guilin, Guiyang, Haikou, Hami, Hangzhou, Harbin, Hefei, Hengyang, Hong Kong, Hohhot,[21] Hongyuan,[22] Hotan,[21] Huizhou, Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta,[23] Jieyang, Jinan,[24] Jiuzhaigou, Karamay,[25] Kashgar,[21] Kathmandu, Korla,[26] Kuala Lumpur–International, Kunming, Kuqa,[21] Lanzhou,[21] Lhasa, Lianyungang, Lijiang, Linyi,[27] London–Heathrow, Mangshi, Manila, Milan–Malpensa,[28] Nanchang, Nanjing, Nanning,[29] Nantong,[30] Nyingchi, Ordos,[21] Paris–Charles de Gaulle,[31] Phuket, Quzhou, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Shihezi,[32] Shijiazhuang, Singapore, Taipei–Taoyuan, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Tokyo–Narita,[33] Ürümqi, Wenzhou, Wuhan, Wuyishan,[34] Xiamen, Xichang, Xining, Xishuangbanna, Yantai, Yinchuan,[35] Yining,[21] Yiwu, Yuncheng, Zhangjiajie,[36] Zhanjiang, Zhengzhou, Zhuhai
Air Guilin	Guilin,[37] Xishuangbanna[37]
Air Macau	Macau
Air Travel	Changsha, Kunming,[38] Yantai[39]
Asiana Airlines	Seoul–Incheon[40]
Bangkok Airways	Koh Samui
Batik Air Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur–International
Beijing Capital Airlines	Korla,[26] Lijiang, Sanya[26]
Cambodia Airways	Phnom Penh
Cathay Pacific	Hong Kong
Chengdu Airlines	Aksu, Anqing, Aral,[41] Baotou, Beihai,[42] Changchun, Changsha, Chiang Mai, Chizhou, Dalian,[41] Dazhou, Dunhuang,[41] Fuyuan,[43] Fuzhou, Haikou,[41] Hanoi,[44] Harbin, Hefei,[45] Hohhot,[46] Huaihua,[47] Jieyang, Jinan, Jinchang, Jinggangshan, Jining, Jixi,[46] Kunming,[48] Lanzhou, Lhasa,[41] Ningbo,[49] Qingdao,[41] Qinhuangdao,[41] Qitai,[50] Quanzhou,[47] Shache,[46] Shaoguan, Shenyang, Shijiazhuang,[41] Tacheng,[51] Turpan,[41] Weihai, Wenzhou, Wuzhou,[41] Xiamen, Xingyi,[52] Yancheng,[41] Zhangye,[41] Zhongwei,[53] Zhoushan, Zhuhai[54]
China Airlines	Taipei–Taoyuan
China Eastern Airlines	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Beijing–Daxing, Changchun,[55] Changsha,[56] Changzhou, Dali, Dalian,[39] Diqing, Ezhou, Fuzhou,[57] Guangzhou, Haikou,[56] Hangzhou, Harbin,[56] Hefei, Huizhou,[58] Jieyang,[59] Jinan,[55] Kunming, Lanzhou, Lhasa,[22] Lincang,[60] Liuzhou, Mangshi, Nanchang, Nanjing, Ningbo, Osaka–Kansai,[61] Phuket, Qingdao, Quanzhou, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shanghai–Pudong, Shenyang, Shenzhen,[56] Shiyan, Taiyuan, Taizhou, Tengchong, Wuhan, Wuxi,[62] Xiamen, Xining, Xinyang, Xishuangbanna,[56] Yantai, Yichang, Yinchuan, Yiwu, Yushu, Zhuhai[63]
China Express Airlines	Changzhi, Chengde, Chenzhou,[64] Chifeng,[65] Dalian, Hohhot,[65] Jining, Linyi,[66] Nanjing,[67] Ningbo,[68] Qiqihar,[69] Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan,[70] Tianjin,[71] Weifang,[66] Wuhai,[72] Wuhu,[73] Xiamen,[66] Xinzhou,[71] Xishuangbanna, Yan'an,[70] Yangzhou[74]
China Southern Airlines	Beijing–Daxing,[75] Changbaishan,[76] Changchun,[55] Changsha,[75] Dalian,[75] Daqing,[77] Guangzhou, Haikou,[75] Harbin,[75] Hotan,[26] Jieyang, Kashgar,[78] Korla,[26] Mudanjiang,[75] Nanning, Sanya,[75] Shanghai–Pudong,[75] Shenyang,[75] Shenzhen, Ürümqi,[26] Wuhan,[75] Xi'an,[77] Yining,[79] Yiwu,[75] Zhengzhou,[75] Zhuhai
China United Airlines	Beijing–Daxing, Foshan,[80] Huizhou,[81] Jinzhou,[82] Qingdao,[83] Wenzhou,[84] Yulin (Shaanxi)[83]
Chongqing Airlines	Dali[85]
Colorful Guizhou Airlines	Guiyang,[86] Huai'an,[86] Jiujiang,[87] Ningbo,[87] Shenzhen,[88] Taizhou, Wenzhou,[89] Xiangxi,[90] Xingyi,[91] Yiwu, Zhangjiajie[36]
Donghai Airlines	Nantong, Shangrao,[92] Shenzhen
Ethiopian Airlines	Addis Ababa
EVA Air	Taipei–Taoyuan
Fuzhou Airlines	Fuzhou[93]
GX Airlines	Jinan,[94] Nanning
Hainan Airlines	Baise, Guangzhou, Shanghai–Pudong, Ürümqi, Vienna,[95] Yulin (Shaanxi)
Hebei Airlines	Beijing–Daxing, Shijiazhuang
Hong Kong Airlines	Hong Kong[96]
Jiangxi Air	Nanchang, Zhengzhou[97]
Juneyao Air	Changsha,[98] Nanjing, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Wuxi[99]
Kunming Airlines	Harbin, Kunming,[100] Lijiang,[100] Mangshi,[101] Xishuangbanna[100]
Lao Airlines	Vientiane
Loong Air	Aral,[102] Bishkek,[103] Dalian,[102] Hangzhou, Heze,[102] Jingzhou,[104] Shenyang, Shenzhen,[102] Taiyuan, Tashkent, Tumxuk, Xiangyang, Xining,[105] Xuzhou,[106] Yinchuan
Lucky Air	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Dali,[107] Ganzhou, Haikou, Harbin,[107] Jinan,[108] Kunming, Lhasa, Lijiang,[109] Nanchang,[107] Nanjing,[107] Sanya, Shijiazhuang,[69] Tianjin, Ürumqi, Xiamen,[107] Xingtai,[110] Xishuangbanna, Yancheng,[111] Zhengzhou
Maldivian	Malé
Nok Air	Phuket[112]
Okay Airways	Kalibo, Phuket
Qatar Airways	Doha[113]
Qingdao Airlines	Changchun, Dali,[114] Harbin,[114] Hefei,[115] Korla,[26] Kota Kinabalu,[116] Qingdao, Tagbilaran,[116] Taiyuan,[114] Ürümqi[114]
Royal Air Philippines	Charter: Kalibo[117]
Ruili Airlines	Anyang,[118] Datong,[119] Harbin,[120] Kunming,[121] Shenyang,[120] Tangshan,[120] Wuxi,[122] Xinzhou[123]
Shandong Airlines	Jinan, Jingdezhen,[124] Xiamen,[124] Yantai[125]
Shanghai Airlines	Shanghai–Pudong,[56] Ürümqi[56]
Shenzhen Airlines	Beijing–Capital,[126] Dalian,[127] Guangzhou,[127] Haikou,[127] Harbin,[127] Hefei, Hong Kong, Lanzhou,[127] Lijiang, Nanchang, Nanjing,[127] Nanning, Nantong,[30] Quanzhou,[128] Shaoyang,[129] Shenyang,[130] Shenzhen,[131] Taiyuan, Wuhan,[127] Wuxi,[62] Xishuangbanna,[127] Yantai
Sichuan Airlines	Altay,[132] Anshan,[133] Athens,[134] Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Beihai, Beijing–Capital, Cairo, Changchun, Changzhou,[135] Changde,[136] Changsha, Chiang Mai, Dali, Dalian, Dandong, Dazhou, Denpasar (begins 26 September 2025),[137] Diqing,[138] Dubai–International, Dunhuang,[139] Fuzhou, Gannan,[140] Ganzhou, Garze, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hanoi, Harbin, Hefei, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Huizhou,[58] Istanbul, Jiayuguan,[141] Jieyang, Jinan, Jiuzhaigou,[142] Karamay, Kathmandu, Korla, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur–International,[143] Kunming, Lanzhou, Lhasa, Lijiang, Linfen,[144] Liuzhou,[145] Los Angeles,[146] Lüliang, Madrid,[147] Malé, Mangshi, Melbourne, Moscow–Sheremetyevo,[148] Nanchang, Nanjing, Nanning, Nantong,[149] Nha Trang, Ningbo, Nyingchi, Ordos, Osaka–Kansai, Penang, Phuket, Pu'er, Qingdao, Qionghai, Quanzhou, Rome–Fiumicino, Saint Petersburg,[148] Sapporo–Chitose (begins 26 October 2025),[150] Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang,[69] Shiyan,[151] Singapore, Songyuan,[152] Sydney,[153] Taipei–Songshan, Taiyuan, Tengchong,[121] Tianjin, Tokyo–Narita, Ürumqi, Vancouver, Wenshan, Wenzhou, Wuhan, Wuhu, Xiamen, Xining,[154] Xishuangbanna, Xuzhou, Yancheng,[155] Yantai, Yinchuan, Yining, Yiwu,[156] Yulin (Guangxi), Zhangjiajie, Zhanjiang,[157] Zhengzhou,[158] Zhoushan,[156] Zhuhai[54] Seasonal: Mahé[159]
Singapore Airlines	Singapore
Spring Airlines	Aksu, Altay,[132] Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi,[160] Enshi,[161] Jieyang,[59] Jinan,[161] Lanzhou, Ningbo, Phnom Penh, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shanghai–Pudong, Shijiazhuang, Wulong, Yining
Thai Airways International	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi
Thai Lion Air	Bangkok–Don Mueang
Thai VietJet Air	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi
Tianjin Airlines	Hangzhou,[162] Huizhou,[81] Tianjin,[162] Ürümqi[162]
Tibet Airlines	Hong Kong,[163] Lhasa[163]
Urumqi Air	Kashgar, Ürümqi,[164] Zhanjiang[164]
VietJet Air	Hanoi,[165] Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam Airlines	Hanoi[166]
West Air	Hefei, Jinan[167]
XiamenAir	Changsha, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
AirBridgeCargo	Moscow–Domodedovo, Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Novosibirsk,[168] Zhengzhou (all suspended)[169]
Air China Cargo	Chicago–O'Hare, Nanjing, Shanghai–Pudong
Air Incheon	Seoul–Incheon
Cathay Cargo	Hong Kong, Shanghai–Pudong
China Cargo Airlines	Shanghai–Pudong
China Postal Airlines	Nanjing
DHL Aviation	Shanghai–Pudong
Donghai Airlines	Hong Kong, Shenzhen
FedEx Express	Anchorage, Delhi, Guangzhou
Korean Air Cargo	Hanoi, Seoul–Incheon
SF Airlines[170][171]	Chennai, Delhi,[172] Dhaka, Hangzhou, Kathmandu, Lhasa, Mumbai, Shenzhen
Sichuan Airlines Cargo	Bengaluru, Brussels, Chennai, Delhi,[173] Singapore[174]
Suparna Airlines Cargo	Châlons-Vatry, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Moscow–Zhukovsky,[175] Shanghai–Pudong, Shenzhen
UPS Airlines	Almaty, Cologne/Bonn, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Warsaw–Chopin[176]

Ground transportation

Internal transportation

The two airport terminals are connected by an Innovia automated people mover (APM) supplied by joint venture firm Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems Limited, which has also won the operations and maintenance contract.^[177]

To connect airport parking to the two terminal buildings there will be a personal rapid transit system, consisting of 6 miles (9.7 km) of guideway, four stations and 22 pods.^[178] However, as of 2025, the PRT has not been commissioned.

GTC Area of Tianfu Int'l Airport

External transportation

Concourse of Tianfu International Airport Terminal 1&2 Station

Highway

• Chengdu Tianfu International Airport Expressway connecting the airport to Chengdu's Third Ring Road.^[179] Opened December 2020.^[180]
• Ziyang - Sanchahu Lake (Jianyang) Highway
• Jianyang - Tianfu Airport - Renshou Highway

Metro (Subway)

• Chengdu Metro Line 18 - Connection to Chengdu South railway station (about 40 min for normal trains and 30 min for express trains), opened since December 2020 (Chengdu Metro Line 18 Service Hours: 5:55 am to 11:30 pm). Its extension work to Chengdu railway station is under construction.
• Chengdu Metro Line 19, on partially shared tracks with Line 18, has been in operation since November 2023 to provide a 30-minute express connection (about 40 min for normal trains) to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.

  

  Tianfu Int'l Airport T1&T2 Station

Bus

Five bus routes are provided to connect Tianfu International Airport with central Chengdu, and passengers can take different buses to Chunxi Road (via Chengdu East (Chengdu Dong) Railway Station), Global Center, Jinsha Transport Hub Station, and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, respectively. The bus service runs 24/7.

High-speed train

The entrance to CR Tianfu Airport Railway Station

High-speed rail connection as part of the Chengdu–Yibin high-speed railway connecting northerly to Chengdu East railway station, southerly to Zigong, Ziyang, Neijaing and more cities. Tianfu Jichang Station (Tianfu Airport Station), along with the high-speed rail has been in operation since December 2023.

Taxi

There are taxi and mobile app car-hailing services from Tianfu Int'l Airport to the city centre.

Visa-exemption transit

240-hour visa-free transit

Holders of passports issued by 54 countries do not require a visa for a 240-hour stay if they are transiting through Chengdu Tianfu International Airport / Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport of entry, provided that they:^[181][182]

• hold passports valid for at least three months from the date of intended arrival and visas for the destination countries (if required); and
• hold ticket receipts (with confirmed seats, if applicable) departing in 240 hours, which shows that their first destination (including stopovers of any kind) outside China is located in a third country. Hong Kong and Macau are considered as third territories for transit purposes.

24/144-hour visa-exemption int'l transit application counter at Chengdu Tianfu Int'l Airport

In order to qualify for the 240-hour visa-free transit, the traveler's inbound and outbound flights must directly arrive at and depart from one of the acceptable ports of entry from or to a third country (including one of the two SARs of Hong Kong and Macau). Both flights must have no stopovers of any kind within mainland China prior to arrival or after departure at the port of entry, and the outbound flight's first stop or destination must be in a different country than the inbound flight's. Travels between U.S. territories and the contiguous U.S. are also ineligible for the 240-hour transit-without-visa, unless one of their flights has a stopover in a third country or a SAR.

A passenger who completed the inspection process will be given a temporary entry permit, which may be in the form of a stamp or a sticker, with the approved area of stay as well as date of entry and departure.^[183]

Travelers utilizing the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme at Chengdu airports (both Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport) are authorized to travel within the certain region in China according to the policy.^[184]

Eligible countries

European Union member states*
Albania* Argentina* Australia* Belarus* Bosnia and Herzegovina* Brazil* Brunei* Canada Chile*	Iceland* Japan* Mexico Monaco* Montenegro* New Zealand* North Macedonia* Norway* Qatar*	Russia Serbia* Singapore* South Korea*  Switzerland* Ukraine United Arab Emirates* United Kingdom1 United States

_{* – Visa-exempt in general (except nationals of the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Sweden, who are visa-exempt only for transit).
1 – For British citizens only.} Source:^[185]

24-hour visa-free transit

Under the 24-hour visa-exemption policy, a visa is not required for travelers who:

• hold a passport valid for at least three months from the date of entry;
• arrive by air, cruise ship or train (except for arriving at certain airports listed below);
• hold confirmed air, cruise ship or train tickets to a third-country final destination outside mainland China departing in 24 hours (standby tickets are not allowed); and,
• depart mainland China on a flight, cruise ship or train within 24 hours after arrival.

All nationalities are eligible for the 24-hour visa-exemption international transit through Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.^[186]

See also

• List of airports in China
• List of the busiest airports in China