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. Xi'an Airport is also the hub for Joy Air and Hainan Airlines. Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is a Skytrax 4-star airport.
In 2024, the airport handled 47,039,000 passengers, making it the busiest airport in northwest China. It is the ninth busiest airport nationwide. Xi'an Xianyang International Airport was also the nation's 9th busiest airport in terms of cargo traffic and the 7th busiest airport by traffic movements.
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.
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.
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 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.
Terminal 2 opened in 2003 and is located 700 meters left of Terminal 3. T2 mainly serves domestic flights within China.
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.
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 November 8. 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 December 26, 2024. The airport now features 4 runways and 4 terminals.
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.