Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport

Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport (IATA: TAO, ICAO: ZSQD) is an international airport serving the city of Qingdao in East China's Shandong province. It received approval in December 2013, and replaced Qingdao Liuting International Airport as the city's main airport in 2021. It is located in Jiaodong, Jiaozhou, approximately 39 kilometres (24 mi) from Qingdao city centre. The airport opened on 12 August 2021 and is currently the largest airport in Shandong, capable of handling 35 million passengers annually. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, in 2025, Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport handled 26.9 million passengers and 192,823 flight takeoffs and landings, representing a year-on-year increases of 0.1% and 2.7% respectively. History The Old Airport Before the construction and opening of Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, Qingdao Liuting International Airport served as the city's primary aviation hub for nearly four decades, operating until its closure in 2021. Although sometimes described as having an even longer historical lineage, modern commercial operations at Liuting lasted roughly 39 years, during which the airport expanded from a modest regional facility into a major international gateway handling over 25 million passengers annually at its peak. For many years, Liuting Airport—then the largest and busiest airport in Shandong Province—operated under heavy strain. Although it was originally designed to handle 12 million passengers per year, it had already reached full capacity by 2012. By 2019, its actual passenger throughput had grown to more than twice its intended design limit. The New Airport The development of Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport was driven by the region's rapid economic growth and the increasing limitations of Liuting Airport, whose location and physical footprint could no longer support long‑term expansion. The new airport project received formal approval from the State Council and the Central Military Commission, and construction began in Jiaodong, Jiaozhou—approximately 39 kilometres from Qingdao's city centre. The groundbreaking ceremony for Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport took place in June 2015, marking the formal start of the new airport project. In June 2016, the terminal building reached a key structural milestone with the hoisting of its first steel component. The main construction phase advanced significantly in April 2017, when full-scale building work began across the airfield and terminal complex. By October 2018, the project entered its testing and commissioning stage, during which systems, equipment, and operational procedures were progressively evaluated. In September 2019, the airport moved into the large‑scale interior decoration and equipment installation phase, preparing the terminal for operational readiness. By June 2020, the terminal building and all associated civil aviation engineering works had passed completion acceptance, paving the way for final operational testing before the airport's official opening on 12 August 2021. In January 2021, two aircraft successfully completed test flights. Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport officially opened to the public on 12 August 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. On 12 August 2021, Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport officially opened to the public, marking a major upgrade to the region's aviation infrastructure. That same night, Qingdao executed a highly coordinated "one‑night transfer", in which all flight operations were moved from Liuting Airport to the new Jiaodong facility in a single overnight logistical operation. At around 1:30 a.m., the final departure lifted off from Liuting, after which the runway, terminal, and tower lights were shut down sequentially—symbolically concluding Liuting Airport's decades of service. Facilities The airport has two Class 4F runways, both 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) long. The runways are able to handle extremely large aircraft, such as the Airbus A380. It has a single 478,000 square metres (5,150,000 sq ft) terminal building. The terminal is designed in a starfish shape, with 5 airside concourses jutting out of it. The roof of the terminal is made out of 0.5 millimetres (0.020 in) thick stainless steel, and spans 223,000 square metres (2,400,000 sq ft). It has a total of 178 aircraft stands and can meet the needs of handling 35 million passengers annually, 500,000 tons of cargo and mail, and 300,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings annually Airlines and destinations Passenger Cargo Ground transport The Airport is connected to inner Qingdao by the S62 Expressway, which is connected with G20 Expressway and G22 Expressway. The airport has a 5-level parking garage. Public transport Metro Qingdao Metro Line 8 operates between Jiaodong Airport and Qingdao North railway station. The metro station is located underground next to the airport's high-speed railway station. It takes 37 minutes to travel to Qingdao North railway station where passengers can transfer to Line 1 or Line 3 towards the downtown. Apart from the regular operations, the metro operates direct airport express trains from Qingdao North railway station to the airport in the morning and evening. Railway Qingdao Airport railway station is on the Jinan-Qingdao high-speed railway, which is operated by China Railway, providing connections to surrounding cities such as Weifang, Yantai, Linyi and Rizhao. The station is located underground at the airport. For departing passengers from Weifang, Linyi and Rizhao, the city terminals serve in-town early check-in service before arriving at the Qingdao airport, which are located in Weifang North, Linyi North and Rizhao West railway station. Passengers departing from Qingdao can also take a train to the airport at Qingdao North and Jiaozhou North Railway Station. See also List of airports in China List of the busiest airports in China References