Chengdu Tianfu International Airport is one of two airports serving

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese pro ...

, the capital of China's

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

province, the other one being

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is one of two international airports serving Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province, the other one being Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU), and a major air hub. Located about southwes ...

(CTU), and a major air hub. The site of the airport was chosen at Lujia Town, Jianyang,

, 51 kilometers (32 mi) southeast of the center of Chengdu. It is named after the

Tianfu New Area Tianfu New Area () was officially launched in December 2011. The establishment of Chengdu Tianfu New Area aims at reconstructing a modern international urban area suitable for residence, industry and commerce. It focuses on modern manufacturing ind ...

, a development zone for Chengdu in which the airport is located. Construction began in May 2016 and the airport opened on 27 June 2021.

History

Plans for a new airport for Chengdu were in place since 2007. In May 2011, officials confirmed the planning process for selecting a location had started. In June 2013, the

Civil Aviation Administration of China The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC; ) is the Chinese civil aviation authority under the Ministry of Transport. It oversees civil aviation and investigates aviation accidents and incidents. As the aviation authority responsible f ...

officially confirmed and approved Jianyang's Lujia Town as the location for the new airport. In January 2015, the State Council and Central Military Commission approved the new airport project, and the official name Chengdu Tianfu International Airport () was finalized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in September 2015. In January 2021, flight testing was done and on 27 June 2021, the first commercial flight departed from the airport.

Design

The airport is intended to become the third-largest airport hub in China, after

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. 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 tones. The full plan includes six runways and four terminals with capacity to handle 90 million passengers per year. 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, 6 arms radiate outwards with both terminals mirroring the other. File:Tianfu Int’ Airport Terminal 2-Hall.jpg, Departure concourse of Terminal 2 File:Tianfu Int’ Airport Terminal 2-Security Check.jpg, Security area of Terminal 2 File:Waiting Corridor-01, Chengdu Tianfu Int' Airport Terminal 2.jpg, Airside of Terminal 2 File:Tianfu Int’ Airport Terminal 2-Arrival Commercial Area.jpg, Arrival area of Terminal 2

Airlines and destinations

Tianfu airport is a major base for Air China. The flag carrier operates maintenance facilities, a 1,500 bed staff hostel and a lounge at the airport. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the airport currently does not operate international flights as of June 2021. However, it is planned for Tianfu Airport to take over most international and cargo routes from Shuangliu Airport, the latter specializing in domestic flights.

Passenger

Cargo

Ground transportation

Internal transportation

The two airport terminals will be 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. To connect airport parking to the two terminal buildings there will be a personal rapid transit system, consisting of of guideway, 4 stations and 22 pods.

Short term

Connections open: * Chengdu Tianfu International Airport Expressway connecting the airport to Chengdu's Third Ring Road. Opened December 2020. *

Chengdu Metro The Chengdu Metro is the rapid transit system of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, China. With the opening of Line 1 on 27 September 2010, the system consists of 12 subway lines and 1 light rail line. It has subsequently undergone rapid expansion. ...

Line 18 - Connection to Chengdu South railway station (future extended to Chengdu railway station), opened December 2020. Construction planned to be completed in time for the opening of the new terminal (status uncertain): *

Ziyang Ziyang () prefecture-level city in eastern Sichuan province, China. It is bordered by the provincial capital of Chengdu to the northwest, Deyang to the north, Suining to the northeast, Chongqing municipality to the east, and Neijiang to the wes ...

- Sanchahu Lake (Jianyang) Highway * Jianyang - Tianfu Airport - Renshou Highway

Medium term

* Extension of the

Line 19, on shared tracks with Line 18, to provide a 30-minute connection to the existing

. * High-speed Rail connection as part of the Chengdu–Zigong high-speed railway connecting to Chengdu East railway station, Chengdu Tianfu railway station, Zigong,

and Neijaing.

References

{{authority control Airports in Sichuan Airports established in 2021 2021 establishments in China Transport in Chengdu Buildings and structures in Chengdu