Kunming Changshui International Airport is an international airport serving Kunming, the capital of Southwestern China's Yunnan province. The airport is located northeast of the city center in a graded mountainous area about above sea level. The airport opened at 08:00 (UTC+8) on 28 June 2012, replacing the old Kunming Wujiaba International Airport, which was later demolished. As a gateway to Southeast and South Asia, Changshui Airport is a hub for China Eastern Airlines, Kunming Airlines, Lucky Air, Sichuan Airlines and Ruili Airlines.
The new airport has two runways (versus the single runway at Wujiaba), and handled over 47,000,000 passengers in 2024, making it the 47th busiest airport in the world and 4th busiest airport in China by passenger traffic.
In 2025, the airport's passenger throughput reached 49.7057 million, ranking tenth among airports in China.
The main terminal was designed by architectural firm SOM with engineering firm Arup.
History Construction began in 2009. At the time, the facility was reported to be named the Zheng He International Airport, named after Zheng He, a Chinese mariner, explorer, and diplomat.
The very short construction time was marred by two separate incidents. The first occurred on January 3, 2010, when seven construction workers died as an incomplete overpass collapsed. On June 28, 2011, 11 workers were injured when a tunnel that was under construction collapsed.
Construction of the airport's main terminal was completed by July 2011.
Facilities Terminal The main terminal of Changshui International Airport is the second largest terminal building in China. The terminal has 66 gates with jet bridges. A total of 88 gates are available.
Runways Kunming Changshui International Airport now has two runways. The east runway is long while the west runway is long.
A-CDM In July 2014, Kunming airport signed an agreement with the aviation data service company VariFlight regarding the Airport Collaborative Decision Making system (A-CDM) installation in order to improve the efficiency of its operations, reduce fuel consumption and other expenses. Kunming airport became the first aviation hub in China to implement such an information system. In 2017, the airport's on-time performance reached 85.3%.
People mover
Trams are used as people movers at Changshui Airport, they are nicknamed "Green Dolphin". The tram line is currently 1.88 km long and runs mostly straight, partly under the aircraft taxiway.
Parking lots The airport parking building area is divided into B2 and B3 level, with a total of 2,883 parking lots.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Ground transportation Car The airport is connected to Kunming’s urban area via an expressway network, centered on the Airport Expressway (S92), which links the airport with the city and surrounding areas.
Metro Kunming Metro Line 6 serves Kunming Changshui International Airport, with Kunming Airport Station located beneath Terminal 1 at the B2 level.
Line 6 provides a direct rail connection between the airport and Kunming’s urban area. The line opened together with the airport in 2012 and was later extended westward; since the completion of Phase 2 in September 2020, its western terminus has been Tangzixiang station, closer to Kunming’s city center.
Train operating hours are generally from 06:20 to 23:00.
Airport Shuttle Kunming Changshui International Airport is served by airport shuttle bus services (branded as Airport Shuttle/空港快线), connecting the airport with Kunming Railway Station and Kunming South Railway Station.
Buses depart from the B1 level of Terminal 1, near Gates 3 and 4, with a fare of per person per trip. +RouteBoarding PointVia/DestinationHoursFrequencyKunming Railway StationAirportXinying Neighborhood, Taili Hotel, Kunming Railway Station 8:00-2:00 the next dayEvery 30-60 minutes; after 23:00, bus departs when full.Kunming Railway Station - City TerminalNon-stop to Airport5:00-23:00Every 40-60 minutesKunming South Railway StationAirportNon-stop to Kunming South Railway Station - North Entrance9:40-17:0030 mintues, or departs when fullKunming South Railway Station - East SquareNon-stop to Airport10:30-20:00
Long-distance coach A long-distance coach station is located approximately west of Gate B14 of Terminal 1. The airport is served by dozens of daily coach services to surrounding cities and counties in Yunnan Province, including Anning, Yuxi, Wenshan, Qujing and Mile, among others.
City bus At present [when?], regular city bus routes 269, Z78, and flexible-demand service L04 serve the airport, stopping at the B1-level bus stops of Terminal 1. These routes mainly serve airport-related facilities, operational areas, and the Changshui Hangcheng residential area to the east of the airport.
Statistics + Annual traffic statistics at Kunming Changshui International AirportYearPassengers% changeAircraft movementsCargo (tons)201223,979,259 7.7% 201,338 262,272.3201329,688,297 23.8% 255,546 293,627.7201432,230,883 8.6% 270,529 316,672.4201537,523,098 16.4% 300,406 355,422.8201641,980,339 11.9% 325,934 382,854.3201744,727,691 6.5% 350,273 418,033.6201847,088,140 5.3% 360,785 428,292.1201948,075,978 2.1% 357,080 415,776.3 202032,989,12731.4%274,433324,989.8202132,221,2952.3%279,471377,225.4202221,237,52034.1%193,788310,122.2202342,033,52797.9%318,586350,469.0202447,178,34712.2%329,602385,625.0202549,705,7255.4%340,867413,244.8
See also List of airports in China List of the busiest airports in China
References
External links Official website (Chinese) The Fourth Air Hub in China—Kunming International New Airport