Xi'an Xianyang International Airport

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (IATA: XIY, ICAO: ZLXY) is the main airport serving Xi'an, the capital of China's ShaanxiProvince, as well as the whole Guanzhong area. Covering an area of 5 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi), it is the largest airport in Northwest China, and the second largest airport in Northern China. The airport was the hub for China Northwest Airlinesuntil the company was merged into China Eastern Airlines in 2002. Xi'an Airport is also the hub for Joy Air and Hainan Airlines.[1] Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is a Skytrax 4-star airport.

In 2018, the airport handled 44,650,000 passengers, making it the busiest airport in northwest China and the 7th busiestnationwide. Xi'an Xianyang International Airport was also the nation's 14th busiest airport in terms of cargo traffic and the 7th busiest airport by traffic movements.

Location

The airport is located within the administrative area of Xianyang city, which gives the airport its name. It is 41 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Xi'an city centre, and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of the centre of Xianyang.[3]

History

Before Xianyang Airport was built, Xi'an was served by Xi'an Xiguan Airport. In 1984, the State Council of China and the Central Military Commission proposed to build a large civil airport on the site of Xianyang's airfield. Phase 1 of the airport commenced construction on August 1987, and was finished and opened on 1 September 1991. Xi'an Xiguan Airport was closed at the same time.[3] Phase 2 started in August 2000, and was finished on 16 September 2003. Another 7.592-billion-yuan project is scheduled to be completed by 2020.

Finnair's service to Helsinki was the first intercontinental route out of Xi'an, launching on 14 June 2013. It is now a seasonal route.[4]

Terminal 3 and second runway

Terminal 3 and the second runway were opened on 3 May 2012,[5] increasing the airport's capacity to more than 33 million passengers a year. The new terminal alone can handle 22 million passengers a year, twice as many as the other two terminals combined. Airlines that moved into the new terminal are China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Shanghai Airlines. The second runway is 3,800 meters long and is large enough to handle the Airbus A380.

Airlines and destinations

Ground transportation[edit source]

Eight airport bus routes connect the airport well with the Xi'an and Xianyang city.

There are also long-distance buses which connect the airport with Baoji, Yangling, Lintong, Hancheng, Hanzhong, Weinan, Tongchuan, Yan'an, Qingyang, and Pingliang.

Xi'an Metro Airport line between Bei Kezhan (Bei Guangchang) station and the airport is under construction and is expected to open in 2019.

Accidents and incidents

• On 6 June 1994, China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303 broke up in mid-air and crashed near Xi'an, en route to Guangzhou from Xi'an. A maintenance error was responsible. All 160 people on board died.