News
Chongqing Airport opens third runway and terminal
September 1st 2017
Chongqing’s Jiangbei International Airport has entered the ‘airport big league’ after opening a third runway (3,600 metres) and terminal. Read More » It is the fourth Mainland airport to have three or more runways after Beijing Capital, Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou Baiyun.
Chongqing Airport also has inaugurated a third passenger terminal, which will lift its annual capacity to 60 million passengers. In 2016, the airport handled 36 million passengers, up 11% year-on-year. The new 530,000m2 terminal has 94 aircraft parking positions and can handle more than 30 million additional passengers a year.
Sichuan Airlines, West Air, China Express Airlines and Spring Airlines will stay in terminals 1 and 2 with all other carriers to move to the new terminal. The airport provides its airline customers with 258 routes – 199 domestic and 59 international – to 158 destinations. Jiangbei’s long-haul routes include a twice-weekly Hainan Airlines to Los Angeles, thrice-weekly Qatar Airways to Doha, thrice-weekly Air China flights to Dubai and four-weekly Finnair A350 flights to Helsinki. Hainan also has mooted plans for a Chongqing- New York nonstop service.
According to Xinhua, Chongqing transport commission deputy director, Wang Qinlin, said the airport is targeting expansion to 350 routes, including 100 international ones, by 2020.
Chongqing is the hub of China Express Airlines, Asia’s largest Bombardier jet operator with its fleet of 32 CRJ900s. The airline has outlined significant growth plans, including the introduction of A320 jets from September.
