Xi'an Xianyang International Airport

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (IATA: XIY, ICAO: ZLXY) is an international airport serving the city of Xi'an, the capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, as well as the whole Guanzhong area. Covering an area of 12 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi), Xi'an Airport has four terminals: T1, T2, T3, and T5. The total terminal building area exceeds 1.1 million square meters, making it one of the largest passenger airports in China, it is also the largest airport in Northwest China, and the second largest airport in Northern China. The airport was the hub for China Northwest Airlines until the company was merged into China Eastern Airlines in 2002 and since then, China Eastern continues to operate as a hub at Xianyang. Xi'an Airport is also the hub for Sichuan Airlines and Hainan Airlines. Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is a Skytrax 4-star airport. In 2025, the airport handled 48,535,594 passengers, making it the busiest airport in northwest China. It is the 11th busiest airport nationwide. Xi'an Xianyang International Airport was also the nation's 16th busiest airport in terms of cargo traffic and the 8th 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 25 kilometres (16 mi) northwest of Xi'an city centre, and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of the centre of Xianyang. 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 in August 1987, and was finished and opened on 1 September 1991. Xi'an Xiguan Airport was closed at the same time. 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. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in China and the closure of Russian airspace resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the route has since been cancelled. The airport is presently engaged in a three-phase expansion initiative, anticipated for completion in 2025, which would feature four runways and four terminals, establishing it as a significant domestic and international aviation transit hub. On 20 February 2025, Terminal 5 officially opened to public and will commence operation. China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and China United Airlines, as well as all international flights, will from the same day relocate to this new terminal. Infrastructure Terminal 1 Terminal 1 is primarily used by 9 Air and Spring Airlines. The terminal reopened on 6 June 2017. Terminal 2 Terminal 2 opened in 2003 and is located 700 meters left of Terminal 3. T2 mainly serves domestic flights within China. Terminal 3 and second runway Terminal 3 and the second runway were opened on 3 May 2012, 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. Terminal 5 and new runways Construction of Terminal 5 began in July 2021 and was completed in September 2024, featuring Tang dynasty inspired architecture, with a total construction cost of 46.9 billion yuan ($6.47 billion). Safety inspections were carried out afterwards and were passed on 8 November. The terminal covers 705,500 square meters - larger than T1, T2 and T3 combined, and aims to accommodate 83 million passengers and 1 million tons of cargo by 2030. It features the world's first on-site airport museum, showcasing artifacts discovered in Shaanxi. Numerous new technologies have been incorporated into the terminal, including robotic security systems and China's most advanced baggage handling system. Two new runways were constructed alongside the terminal, and became operational on 26 December 2024. The airport now features 4 runways and 4 terminals. CWAG Museum of Heritage The CWAG Museum of Heritage is a museum located within Terminal 5, opened on 26 February 2025. The museum contains 121 artifacts dating back to the Tang dynasty, that were uncovered during airport construction. Terracotta musicians sealed in tombs are also displayed at the museum. During its first month of operation, 45,000 visitors visited the museum. Airlines and destinations Passenger Cargo Statistics Ground transportation 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 Line 14 between Beikezhan (Beiguangchang) station and the airport was opened on 29 September 2019. The line extended to Heshao on 29 June 2021. 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. See also Xi'an Xiguan Airport List of airports in China List of the busiest airports in China References External links Official website Archived 5 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine "Current weather for ZLXY". NOAA/NWS. Accident history for XIY / ZLXY at Aviation Safety Network