Changsha Huanghua International Airport is an international airport serving Changsha, the capital of South Central China's Hunan province, and the Greater Changsha Metropolitan Region comprising the nearby cities of Zhuzhou and Xiangtan.
In 2022, the airport ranked as the 12th busiest civil airport in China, the second busiest in South Central China after Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and the busiest in Central China. By 2025, however, Changsha Huanghua International Airport had been overtaken by Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, and no longer held the position of South Central China's second busiest airport.
Located about from downtown Changsha in the town of Huanghua in Changsha County, the airport has two terminal buildings. The airport is managed by the Hunan Airport Authority, a publicly owned corporation managing all five airports in Hunan Province. Huanghua airport was opened in August 1989, replacing Changsha Datuopu Airport, which is now a military air base.
History
From 1957 to 1989, Datuopu Airport served as a dual-use military and civil airport for Changsha. It was only capable of handling small aircraft and a few flights per day. The Hunan Provincial Government proposed the construction of a new airport in October 1984, which was approved by the State Council of China. Construction for Huanghua Airport began in June 1986, and it was opened on 29 August 1989, when all civil flights were transferred to the new airport, and Datuopu reverted to sole military use.
The airport then went through a major expansion in 2008–2011, with lengthening of runway 18/36 from to and the addition of Terminal 2 which went into operation in 2011. The airport welcomed its first intercontinental destination when China Southern Airlines began service to Frankfurt, Germany on 23 June 2014.
Terminals
Terminal 1 Terminal 1, with of space, has three concourses (T1-A, T1-B and T1-c). It opened in 2000, with a proposed annual capacity of 4.6 million passengers. Terminal 1 was closed for renovation from July 2011 to 17 May 2018 after Terminal 2 became fully operational.
Terminal 1 reopened on 18 May 2018. After renovation, Terminal 1 has of space, 38 check-in counters, 10 security lanes and 10 aerobridges. It has the capacity of six million passengers annually. Terminal 1 serves Air China, Chengdu Airlines, Joy Air, Okay Airways, Tibet Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and Kunming Airlines.
Terminal 2 The inauguration of Terminal 2 was on 19 July 2011. With of space, the new terminal is the fifth largest airport terminal in mainland China (after Beijing–Capital, Shanghai–Pudong, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen). The tall main building of Terminal 2, being in length and in depth, is the largest single steel-truss structure in Hunan. The new terminal has 22 bridge gates, to which the longest passenger walking distance is within . With this new facility, the airport can handle 151,000 aircraft movements and another 15.6 million passengers every year. The peak hour volume of passengers is 3,940.
The terminal has 80 check-in counters and 24 self-checkin kiosks, 24 security checkpoints and more than 6,390 seats. The arrival hall is equipped with eight baggage carousels (six at domestic area and two at international area). The indoor parking garage P4, which has 693 parking spaces, is on floor B2. There are also three outdoor parking areas, P1, 2 and 3, which provide over 1000 parking spaces.
Long-term expansion Terminal 4 is to be constructed on the north side of the East terminal area. The east terminal area, in which both Terminals 3 and 4 lie, is located between the second and third runways. At the final stage, the fourth parallel runway () of 4E will be constructed east of the third runway. Two tunnels connecting the west area (Terminal 1&2) and the east terminals (Terminal 3&4) are considered.
Changsha Huanghua International Airport will become a major hub in China, which hosts several airlines. The airport's ultimate capacity will be 90 million passengers annually.
Airlines and destinations Passenger
Cargo
Statistics
As for 2025, Changsha Huanghua International Airport was the 15th busiest airport in the People's Republic of China with 30,253,675 passengers.
Year Passengers % change Cargo (tons) Aircraft movements 2017 23,764,820 11.6 138,737.6 179,575 2016 21,296,675 13.8 130,276.1 167,910 2015 18,715,278 3.9 122,022.1 153,367 2014 18,020,501 12.6 125,037.8 152,359 2013 16,007,212 8.5 117,588.7 137,843 2012 14,749,701 7.8 110,608.0 127,041 2011 13,684,731 8.4 114,831.1 116,727 2010 12,621,333 8.4 108,635.2 115,635 2009 11,284,282 33.5 86,995.0 110,023 2008 8,454,808 4.8 71,151.9 85,339 2007 8,069,989 14.9 68,629.7 82,041 2006 6,592,602 22.4 62,571.3 71,139 2005 5,301,396 24.4 52,360.3 59,534 2004 3,802,550 27.1 43,133.2 55,054 2003 2,992,543 15.2 34,987.5 46,993 2002 2,598,508 17.2 25,437.9 42,920 2001 2,217,088 9.0 20,375.2 39,194 2000 2,034,526 - 18,552.0 37,722
+Changsha Airport passenger totals 2000–2016 (millions)
Ground transportation Maglev
The regular-speed Changsha Maglev Express connects Changsha Huanghua International Airport and Changsha South railway station, it started operation on 6 May 2016. The Maglev line is long and trains and runs at a speed of to finish the journey in just over 10 minutes. The ticket price is ¥20 between the Airport and South Railway Station. Metro-card holders can receive a 10% discount.
Station nameStation nameTransferLocation CWQ Yuhua Changsha County CSX
Metro Line 6 of Changsha Metro also reaches the airport via Huanghua Airport T1 & T2 station.
Rail The planned Changsha–Ganzhou high-speed railway will have an airport railway station.
Bus
There are direct shuttle buses connecting the airport with Hunan Civil Aviation Hotel (with one stop at Gao Qiao on the way), Changsha South Railway Station, and South Bus Station
See also List of airports in China List of the busiest airports in China
References
External links
Official Hunan Provincial Airport Authority website