Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is the main international airport serving the city of Chongqing in Southwestern China. It is located in Liangjiang, Chongqing, about north of Chongqing city center.

The airport is a major aviation hub for airlines in western China, including China Express, China Southern (through its subsidiary Chongqing Airlines), Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and West Air. Chongqing is a focus city for Air China, Shandong Airlines, Tianjin Airlines and XiamenAir.

Jiangbei Airport has undergone multiple major expansions. The latest expansion involves a new satellite terminal (Terminal 3B) and a fourth runway, both of which have finished construction as of 2025. The first, second, and third phases of the airport came into operation in January 1990, December 2004, and December 2010, respectively. Terminal 2 is capable of handling 15 million passengers and Terminal 3A 45 million passengers annually.

It was the 9th busiest airport in mainland China by passenger traffic in 2025. Jiangbei Airport was awarded the best airport in its size category by Airports Council International in 2017 and again in 2018.

History The civil aviation of Chongqing dates back to the 1920s. After the completion of Baishiyi Airport in 1938, Chongqing became one of the four cities in China that had an airport in operation. In 1950, four flight routes from Tianjin, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Kunming to Chongqing became the earliest to be opened after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. In 1965, the Civil Aviation Administration of China opened an office in Sichuan Province and Chongqing Airport became subject to it. The development of Chongqing's civil aviation then stopped until the 1990s.

On 22 January 1990, the new airport, Chongqing Jiangbei Airport was opened to replace the old Baishiyi Airport's commercial flight functions, which remained open as a military airport. The development of the civil aviation resumed. In 1997, when the Chongqing area became a 4th municipality of China, Civil Aviation Administration of China established a branch in Chongqing in the same year.

Terminals Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport contains three terminals: Terminal 1 (currently closed), Terminal 2A and 2B (domestic services), and Terminal 3A (domestic and international services). Terminals 1 and 2 are situated along the western perimeter of the airport, while the larger, newer Terminal 3A is located farther southeast of the former two. CRT line 10 and free terminal shuttle bus provide services between Terminal 2 and 3A.

Terminal 1 (T1) was the original passenger terminal building when Jiangbei Airport was first opened in 1990. It handled international services until its closure in August 2017. Terminal 2 (T2A/T2B) contains two concourses (hence 2A and 2B). Concourse B was opened in 2004 (then referred to simply as T2) and Concourse A in 2010. The terminal has 30 gates and annual passenger capacity of 37 million. It currently handles domestic services. It offers concourse access to CRT Terminal 2 of Jiangbei Airport Station which is serviced by CRT Lines 3 and 10. Terminal 3A (T3A) was opened in August 2017. The terminal is the largest of the three and has 66 gates. It has annual passenger capacity of 45 million. It currently handles domestic services and all international services. It offers concourse access to CRT Terminal 3 of Jiangbei Airport Station which is serviced by CRT Line 10. Terminal 3B (T3B) was constructed as part of the fifth phase expansion project of the airport. It entered service in April 2025. As a satellite terminal, it is connected to Terminal 3A via an underground monorail line which acts as the airport's automated people mover system; passengers departing from T3B go through check-in formalities and security check at T3A before taking the APM to T3B, while passengers arriving at T3B take the APM to T3A for baggage claim. Terminal 3B exclusively serve domestic flights; international flights remain at Terminal 3A.

Development Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is currently undergoing a major expansion, with a vision of obtaining a major international air hub and becoming the largest airport in western China by 2030. Jiangbei Airport has been outlined ambitious growth plans, competing with Chengdu Airport, Kunming Airport, Wuhan Airport and Xi'an Airport to be recognized as the nation's fourth largest aviation hub (after those hubs in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou).

Airport expansion The expansion project Phase III, which included a second runway and an additional Terminal, T2A, started construction in 2007 and completed in 2010. Major elements of the construction were adding a second runway of (which was later lengthened to to satisfy the landings and takeoffs of Boeing 747 and the demands of Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.) to the east of the existing runway, building a parallel taxiway in between the two runways, and setting up a visual aid lighting support system. It also added a second terminal building (T2A) with an area of , 41 apron aircraft parking stands, and a freight station and support facilities occupying an area of . It cost CNY3.3 billion (US$538 million).

Phase IV (dubbed the Eastern Expansion) - of Jiangbei Airport has been the biggest and contains the construction of a third runway and a new terminal, T3A, being , more than double the size of the existing terminals (T1 and T2A/T2B) combined, costing CNY27.0 billion (US$4 billion). The fourth phase of the expansion project was completed in August 2017.重庆机场集团有限公司跟踪评级报告. p10. Available at: https://www.lhratings.com/reports/B009624-P09709-GZ2019.pdf

The fifth phase of expansion for Jiangbei Airport is the most recent, and final major expansion for the airport. It includes a new satellite terminal, namely T3B, a fourth runway, expanded remote aircraft stands and cargo facilities. The satellite terminal is designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and CSWADI, with interior design later updated by Nordic Office of Architecture. It is the world's largest standalone satellite hall and second largest satellite terminal overall. The terminal is connected via underground air-side monorail, maintained and operated by Chongqing Rail Transit. In November 2020, the fifth phase of the Chongqing Airport expansion project commenced construction. After four years of construction, the fourth runway of Chongqing Jiangbei Airport was officially put into use at the end of 2024, and the new terminal building was put into use in April 2025.

Phases for the expansion of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport Phase Date of inauguration Terminals Runways (direction, ref. code) Number of bays Passenger capacity Constituents Areas (sq m) Aerobridges Remote* Total Total International I 22 January 1990 T1 16,000 #1 (02/20, 4E) 6 25 31 1,000,000 - II 12 December 2004 T1, T2B 104,900 #1 (02/20, 4E) 24 26 50 7,000,000 - III 21 December 2010 T1, T2A/T2B 181,900 #1 (02L/20R, 4E) #2 (02R/20L, 4E) 36 49 85 30,000,000 2,100,000 IV 29 August 2017 T1, T2A/T2B, T3A 718,900 #1 (02L/20R, 4E) #2 (02R/20L, 4E) #3 (03/21, 4F) 98 81 179 60,000,000 10,000,000 V Expected 2022 T1, T2A/T2B, T3A/T3B 1,068,900 #1 (02L/20R, 4E) #2 (02R/20L, 4E) #3 (03L/21R, 4F) #4 (03R/21L, 4F) 165 - - 70,000,000 14,000,000 Note: Remote bays include the ones that serve the air freighters.

Surge in cargo traffic

Cargo traffic increased at an average rate of 14% in the first six months of 2011, driven by exponential growth in international cargo. International cargo/mail volumes increased by 12 times from 2010 levels in the first half of 2011, to more than 9000 tonnes. In the second half of 2011, this growth rate is expected to be maintained, with Hewlett-Packard, Asus and other brands of large international IT production capacity supporting the increase, to an anticipated 60,000 to 80,000 tonnes of international cargo throughout the whole year.

New international routes

Before 2010, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport's international destinations all terminated in East and Southeast Asia, including direct flights to Tokyo (has stop-over in Beijing or Shanghai), Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, Phuket, Siem Reap, etc. In 2011, Qatar Airways opened a new route to Doha. Finnair's services to Helsinki were later added in 2012.

With the new Terminal 3A in operation since August 2017, the airport has had multiple new international routes with non-stop flights to London, Dubai, Sydney, Rome, Milan, Paris, Budapest, etc. T3A and the third runway of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport started operation at 06:00 on 29 August 2017. In the meantime, T1 was temporarily closed, T2 serve only domestic flights operated by Sichuan Airlines, West Airlines, China Express and Spring Airlines, and the remaining flights were transferred to T3A. In addition, the airport operates a free trans-shipment shuttle between T2 and T3A in a 24-hour operation.

Statistics Year Passengers Ranking by PAX Cargo Aircraft operations Number Increase Domestic Global Tons Increase Number Increase 2000 13.3% 11 - 2.2% 1.4% 2001 14.8% 11 - 3.8% 13.1% 2002 21.1% 12 - 10.6% 19.0% 2003 10.9% 12 - 7.6% 14.5% 2004 22.1% 12 - 13.8% 15.4% 2005 26.7% 11 - 15.2% 12.2% 2006 21.4% 10 - 19.1% 22.4% 2007 28.6% 10 - 19.4% 18.2% 2008 7.6% 10 - 11.7% 7.1% 2009 26.0% 10 91 16.1% 17.8% 2010 12.6% 10 90 5.2% 9.9% 2011 20.6% 9 76 21.4% 14.5% 2012 15.8% 9 70 13.1% 17.1% 2013 14.6% 9 62 4.3% 9.9% 2014 15.8% 8 57 7.9% 11.0% 2015 10.7% 9 - 5.4% 7.4% 2016 10.8% 9 54 13.3% 8.4% 2017 7.9% 9 51 1.4% 4.3% 2018 7.4% 9 - 4.3% 4.2%

Source: CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China)

Number of domestic and international/regional passengers (bar chart, 2009–2018)

Source: CQA (Chongqing Airport Group Co., Ltd.)

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Ground transportation The airport's ground transportation is developing very fast. Four highways around the airport are either under construction or have been built, as part of plans to turn Chongqing into an integrated regional transport hub in western China. There is a GTC (Ground Transportation Centre) in front of T3A's main terminal building, providing transfer to inter-city rail, metro, buses, long-distance coach and taxis.

General plan of integrated transportation Hub at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport:

One inter-city rail: Branch of Chongqing-Wanzhou Inter-City Rail Two lines of Chongqing Rail Transit: Line 3 and Line 10 Three latitudinal roadways: (1) outer ring expressway, (2) relocated National Highway G319, and (3) southern connecting freeway Four longitudinal roadways: (1) first freeway of CKG Airport (National Highway G210), (2) second freeway of CKG Airport (under construction), (3) Chongqing-Linshui expressway, and (4) northern connecting roadway

Buses

Airport express bus routes Airport Express lines are easily accessible at Terminals 2 and 3. Route K01: Jiangbei Airport → Jiazhou () → Damiao () → Shangqingsi () → Chongqing Great Hall → Jiefangbei. It takes about 50 minutes from the airport to the city centre (Jiefangbei). Route K02: Jiangbei Airport → Qixia Road () → North Square of Chongqingbei Railway Station. 40 minutes may be taken from the airport to the High-Speed railway station. Route K03: Jiangbei Airport → Yanggongqiao (Shapingba) Route K05: Jiangbei Airport → Sigongli Bus Terminal Route K06: Jiangbei Airport → Chongqing West Railway Station Route K07: Jiangbei Airport → Shapingba Railway Station

Long-distance coach services There is a transfer center for long-distance coaches between Terminal 2A and Terminal 2B, and it offers bus services to nearby cities in Sichuan and Guizhou Province, as well as suburban areas of Chongqing Municipality.

Freeways and roads