Chengdu Airport - Getting to and from the Chengdu International Airport

The Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (成都双流国际机场, Code: CTU)  is most traveler’s first stop on the way to and from the home of the pandas and China’s western hub. It also serves as a stopover or midway point for many people traveling through China, and the port of exit for travelers leaving China.

Learn how to easily get to the Chengdu Airport and how to efficiently get to other parts of Chengdu and Sichuan from the airport. One might think that visiting the Chengdu airport website, would be the best place to learn about it, unfortunately, the site is only available inside of China.

Over the last 10 years the Chengdu Airport has been ranked one of the top 30 busiest on Earth, as well as the 4th busiest airport in Mainland China, and it serves over 40 million passengers per year and is capable of serving about 50 million. As you can imagine, an airport that handles that amount of activity is enormous.

Thus, the Chengdu Airport is a major modern airport. There are 2 main terminals covering an area of about 125 acres, with hundreds of check-in counters, over 60 security channels, and over 70 boarding gates.  It has the usual Gamut of airport facilities, including: first-aid clinics, duty-free shop, VIP and First-Class lounges, and car parks for small and large vehicles.

Reaching the Chengdu Airport

The Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport serves as a hub for many airlines and has connecting flights to many major Chinese and international cities.

A huge number of major Chinese cities and many popular tourist destinations have connecting flights to Chengdu, including: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Zhangjiajie, Lhasa, Xining, Qingdao, Hangzhou, and many more. As for cities in foreign countries, the list is also enormous, but know that popular destinations like Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala-Lumpur, Los Angeles, New York, London, Vancouver, Sydney, Melbourne, Frankfort, Delhi, and plenty more fly to Chengdu.

Unfortunately, a comprehensive list of all the airports that have flights to the Chengdu Airport would be enormous and counterproductive thanks to the airport’s sheer size and activity. For travelers looking to arrive in Chengdu, finding flights to Chengdu is as easy as going to your favorite booking website (skyscanner.net, orbitz.com, kayak.com, etc.) and looking for a flight from the airport of your choice to Chengdu.

If you already have a visa for China, you are good to go once you arrive in Chengdu. You are free to explore for as long as your visa permits. If you don’t have a visa, there is a new program that just started this year that allows entry into some Chinese cities without a visa.

144 hour Visa-free Transit in Chengdu

Also known as Transit Without Visa (TWOV) or an entry permit. Beginning January 1st, 2019, visitors from 53 countries will be eligible for a 6 day (144 hour) visa free stay in Chengdu.

The following countries are part of this visa waiver program:

• Asia: Brunei, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates
• Europe: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, UK.
• North and South America: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, US
• Oceania: Australia, New Zealand

Requirements for TWOV:

This program is only for people who are traveling from one country to another through China, I.E. Country of origin → Chengdu → Destination Country. (Hong Kong and Taiwan are treated as separate countries)

• A passport valid for at least 3 more months from the time of application
• A ticket to the destination country after China
• A valid visa for the destination country if required
• A China Arrival/Departure Card (available at customs on entering China)

Application process:

• When boarding en-route to China, inform the airline you will be applying for the TWOV/entry permit.
•  Complete an Arrival/Departure card
•  Apply for the 144 hour visa-free stay on arrival in China
•  Go through customs and exit the airport.

What am I allowed to do during the 144 hours?

People who are staying in Chengdu for 144 hours or less on this program are only allowed to stay within the Chengdu area. Within Chengdu, you are allowed to stay in hotels and visit the local attractions, like the panda sanctuaries and landmarks. You are free to be a normal tourist during your time in China, however you will not be able to visit any other major cities. If you intend to travel to other cities in China, you will need to apply separately with the local exit/entry administration in Chengdu.

Where to go from the airport?

The Chengdu Airport has plenty of transportation routes to the city of Chengdu as well as to the popular tourist destinations nearby. The primary means are the usual ones found in China: trains, metro, taxis, and buses.

Metro

Passengers can take metro line 3 from both Terminal 1 and 2 to Taipingyuan, Huaxin, and other metro stops that are transfer stops in and around the city Center.

Train

On the basement floor (-1f) of the terminal 2 parking lot you will find the ticket office and waiting hall. Platforms are on the next floor down (-2f). The trains go to nearby cities like Leshan and Emeishan (Mount Emei). Chengdu East railway station is about 22 kilometers away, and Chengdu South Railway Station is about 17 kilometers away from the airport.

Bus

1. Shuttle Bus

Airport Bus No.1

• Route: Chengdu Airport--Downtown(Minshan Hotel)
• Time: Minshan Hotel: 6:00-22:00(23:00 during the Spring Festival Transport)  Chengdu Airport: 6:30 to last flight
• Location at airport: Gate No.2 of T1 & 25 meters away from Gate No.4  of T2
• Major Stops: Airport、US Consulate, Renmin South RD., Huaxi Dam, Minshan Hotel.

Airport Bus No.2

• Route: Chengdu Airport-- North Railway Station
• Time: 6:30—20:00
• Location at airport: Around Gate No.2 of T1 &90 meters away from Gate No.4 of T2  at 1st floor of T2
• Major Stops: North Railway Station, Tianfu Square.

Airport Bus No.3

• Route:Chengdu Airport—East Railway Station
• Time:7:00—20:00
• Location at airport: Gate No.1 of T1; 150 meters away from Gate No.4, between Gate No.4 & No.5 of T2
• Major Stops:South Railway Station(East), South Gate of Sichuan Normal University, East Railway Station.

Airport Bus No.5

• Route: Chengdu Airport—Xipu bus station of Pi County
• Time:Chengdu Airport: 08:00 -20:00 Xipu Bus station: 7:00-19:00
• Location at airport: Gate No.1 of T1; 50 meters away from Gate No.5 of T2
• Major Stops: Chengdu Airport, Chadianzi station, Xipu station.

2. Long-Distance Bus

Destination	Schedule	Reference Price
Anyue(Jianyang, Leizhi, Huilan and Yuanda )	12:00、14:00	65.00（35.00、55.00、60.00、63.00）
Ya‘an	11:00、13:35、16:10	47.00
Yibin	10:50、12:30、13：30、15:00 、16:30 、18:00	113.00
Zigong	11:20 、 12:20、13：20、14：20、15:20、16:50、19:00、20：30	87.00 （Business Purpose Vehicle 120.00）
Dujiangyan	9:40、10:30、11:30、12:40、13:30、14:30、15:40、17:30、19:20、20:30	27.00、 （Koste 32.00）
Ziyang	10:00 、14:50	48.00
Jintang	8:30、16:30	26.00
Zhongjiang	09:00、11:00、14:00 、17:00、20:00	58.00
Longchang	08:40、13:40	80.00
Luzhou	10:30、12:00、13:30、15:00、16:30、18:30	110.00
Meishan	13:30	35.00
Mianyang	09:30、11:10、13:00、14:40、16:30、18：30、20:30	58.00
Nanchong	09:20、13:50	79.00
Neijiang	12:00、14:00、16:00	72.00 （Business Purpose Vehicle 80.00）
Pengzhou	14:10	20.00
Suining	13：00、16：00	77.00
Qionglai	9：00、11：00、12:50、14：10、16:00、17：30	25.00
Renshou	9:30、11:20、13:00、14:30、16:00、18:00、19:10	42.00

Taxi

Taxis from Chinese airports can be over-expensive, especially for foreigners. Many unscrupulous taxi drivers will assume 1) tourists are rich and 2) tourists don’t know how much a taxi ride should cost in China.

In general, in Chengdu, taxis cost about 1.9 Renminbi or Yuan (two commonly used names for Chinese currency, AKA RMB or CNY) per kilometer. If you have a specific destination in mind, here is a handy chart for calculating your approximate cost per kilometer traveled:

A taxi to the North Railway Station will be between 80 and 100 RMB, to East Railway Station about 60-80, and 20-30 to the South Railway Station. It should cost about 50 RMB to get to the city center, slightly more or less depending on your exact location in relation to the airport.

Future plans

As the Chengdu Shuangliang international Airport is expected to reach capacity in the next year, the city plans on opening its second international airport by 2020. Called the Tianfu International Airport, it will be located about 50 kilometers from the city center and is expected to service 40 million passengers yearly by 2025. If you are panning a trip to Chengdu, please feel free to contact us.

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