Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport Explained

Nativename:Chinese: {{nobold|重庆江北国际机场
Iata:CKG
Icao:ZUCK
Type:Public
City-Served:Chongqing
Location:Yubei, Chongqing, China
Elevation-M:416
Metric-Elev:yes
Coordinates:29.7192°N 106.6417°W
Pushpin Map:China Chongqing#China
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Chongqing##Location in China
Pushpin Label:CKG/ZUCK
Pushpin Label Position:left
R1-Number:02L/20R
R1-Length-M:3,200
R1-Surface:Asphalt
R2-Number:02R/20L
R2-Length-M:3,600
R2-Surface:Concrete
R3-Number:03L/21R
R3-Length-M:3,800
R3-Surface:Concrete
R4-Number:03R/21L
R4-Surface:Under construction
Metric-Rwy:yes
Stat1-Header:Passengers
Stat1-Data:44,657,227
Stat2-Header:Aircraft movements
Stat2-Data:314,697
Stat3-Header:Cargo (in tonnes)
Stat3-Data:387,892.9
Stat-Year:2023
Footnotes:Source: List of the busiest airports in China
Order:st
P:Chóngqìng Jiāngběi Guójì Jīchǎng

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is the main international airport serving the city of Chongqing in Southwestern China. It is located in Yubei, Chongqing, about 19km (12miles) north of the Chongqing urban center.

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

Jiangbei Airport has undergone multiple major expansions. The latest expansion involves a new terminal 3B and a fourth runway currently under construction as of 2023. 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.[1]

It was the second-busiest airport in Mainland China by passenger traffic in 2022, and the sixth-busiest as of 2023. Jiangbei Airport was awarded the best airport in its size category by Airports Council International in 2017 and again in 2018.[2]

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.[3]

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.

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.[4] 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).

Jiangbei Airport was reported to have reached the fastest growth rates since 2011, according to CAPA's Airport Traffic Benchmark Tool. On 1 November 2015, the annual passengers at Jiangbei Airport exceeded 30 million for the first time.

Airport expansion

The expansion project Phase III, which included a second runway and an additional Terminal, T2, started construction in 2007 and completed in 2010. Major elements of the construction were adding a second runway of 3200m (10,500feet) (which was later lengthened to 3600m (11,800feet) 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 (T2) with an area of 86000m2, 41 apron aircraft parking stands, and a freight station and support facilities occupying an area of 20000m2. It cost CNY3.3 billion (US$538 million).[5] On 22 December 2010, the second runway was commissioned, which made Jiangbei Airport the fourth airport in mainland China to operate two runways, one exclusively for departures and the other exclusively for arrivals.

The most recent expansion - 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 530000m2, more than double the size of the existing terminals (T1 and T2A/T2B) combined, costing CNY26.0 billion (US$4.1 billion). Most of T3A's construction work was completed by the end of 2016. The terminal was inaugurated in August 2017, after which the airport has more than 725000m2 of terminal floor space, ranking Jiangbei Airport among China's 15 largest airports with an annual passenger capacity of 60 million and an annual cargo capacity of 2 million tons. Half of the terminal (concourses G & H) is for international flights from major cities in South East Asia, East Asia, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America. After the completion of expansion Phase IV, Jiangbei Airport became the fourth airport in Greater China (inc. Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) that has three runways in operation, of which Runway #3 (03/21) is operated independently on top of the pair #1 (02L/20R) and #2 (02R/20L).

The fifth phase of expansion for Jiangbei Airport is currently underway. It is expected to include a new terminal, namely T3B and a fourth runway. The satellite terminal is designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and CSWADI, with interior design later updated by Nordic Office of Architecture. The terminal will be connected via underground air-side monorail. This phase will be finished in the mid-2020s.

Phases for the expansion of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport
Phase Date of inaugurationTerminals Runways (direction, ref. code)Number of baysPassenger capacity
scope=col Constituents Areas (sq m) Aerobridges Remote* Total Total International
I22 January 1990 T1 16,000
  1. 1 (02/20, 4E)
6 25 31 1,000,000 -
II12 December 2004 T1, T2B 104,900
  1. 1 (02/20, 4E)
24 26 50 7,000,000 -
III21 December 2010 T1, T2A/T2B 181,900
  1. 1 (02L/20R, 4E) #2 (02R/20L, 4E)
36 49 85 30,000,000 2,100,000
IV29 August 2017 T1, T2A/T2B, T3A 718,900
  1. 1 (02L/20R, 4E) #2 (02R/20L, 4E) #3 (03/21, 4F)
98 81 179 60,000,000 10,000,000
VExpected 2022 T1, T2A/T2B, T3A/T3B 1,068,900
  1. 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.[6]

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.[7] Finnair’s services to Helsinki would later be added in 2012.

With the new T3A terminal in operation since August 2017,[8] the airport has had multiple new international routes with non-stop flights to London, Dubai, Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Rome, Paris, Budapest, etc.[9] T3A Terminal 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, Huaxia Airlines 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.[10]

Statistics

scope=col rowspan="2" Yearscope=col colspan="2" Passengersscope=col colspan="2" Ranking by PAXscope=col colspan="2" Cargoscope=col colspan="2" Aircraft operations
scope=col 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[11] 13.3% 8.4%
2017 7.9% 9 51[12] 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

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.[13] There is a 300000sqm 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:

Buses

Airport express bus routes

Airport Express lines are easily accessible at Terminals 2 and 3.

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

There is currently one airport freeway connecting the city center with the airport, and the second one is under construction and will be put into operation in the late 2016. The airport freeway is 23 kilometers long, but it usually takes as many as 30 minutes to get from the city center to the airport because of the heavy traffic.

Parking

The airport has four parking lots:

All together, the airport can accommodate about 7,300 cars at one time.[17] [18]

Chongqing Rail Transit (CRT)

See main article: Terminal 2 of Jiangbei Airport station, Terminal 3 of Jiangbei Airport station and Chongqing Rail Transit.

Chongqing Rail Transit Line 3 runs from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport's Terminal 2 station, going through the city center via Lianglukou station and onto its final stop, Yudong, covering a distance of 60km (40miles). It takes around 50 minutes to get to the city center (Lianglukou).[19]

Line 10, serves as the second metro line connecting the urban areas of Chongqing and the airport.[20] One station of Line 10 is at Terminal 3 and the other is at Terminal 2. This line runs under Runways #1 (02L/20R) and #2 (02R/20L), connecting Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 in landside. Line 10 is the only metro line access to the new Terminal 3, while Line 3 will not be elongated to Terminal 3. Line 10 also reduces the travel distance between Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport and Chongqingbei Railway Station, which can facilitate the transfers of passengers between air and rail.

National Railway and Intercity Trains

China Railway (Intercity trains)

Terminal 3A has a large underground railway station as part of its GTC (Ground Transportation Center). It is adjacent to the Chongqing Rail Transit Line 10 metro station. The railway station opened on 30 December 2022, initially with limited service to stations along the Chongqing Railway Hub East Ring line, forming the Airport Branch of the railway line. It is one stop away from Chongqing North railway station, a major railway station servicing Chongqing.[21]

The station is designed to connect cities as far as 300 kilometers away, thus allowing Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport to serve a significantly larger population. The speed of the trains is designed to be 250 to 300 kilometers per hour, allowing journeys to take less than one hour from a relatively faraway locations within the Chongqing Municipality.[22]

Other facilities

The headquarters of China Express Airlines are on the airport property.[23]

Incidents

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: http://cq.sina.com.cn/news/b/2017-08-29/detail-ifykiqfe2408717.shtml. zh-cn . zh:江北机场T3今起投用 重庆进入三跑道时代. Sina Chongqing . 29 August 2017.
  2. Web site: 16 August 2018 . zh:重庆机场服务质量保持全球同层级机场领先地位 . http://news.carnoc.com/list/458/458313.html . CARNOC . zh-cn.
  3. Web site: zh:重庆珍档:44年前周总理拍板 扩建白市驿机场. http://cq.qq.com/a/20100201/000769.htm. QQ Chongqing. zh-cn. 21 February 2010. 1 October 2011. 25 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120425014223/http://cq.qq.com/a/20100201/000769.htm. dead.
  4. Web site: zh:江北国际机场四期扩建工程今年底奠基. http://www.liangjiang.gov.cn/ljxw/xw_mtjj/201194/20119494254.htm. Chongqing Morning Paper. zh-hans. 4 September 2011. 1 October 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120406184500/http://www.liangjiang.gov.cn/ljxw/xw_mtjj/201194/20119494254.htm. 6 April 2012. dead.
  5. Web site: China Civil Aviation Report – Chinese Aviation, Airports, and Airplanes. 1 June 2015. 3 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120403022102/http://www.chinacivilaviation.com/article.asp?id=589. dead.
  6. Web site: Chongqing aims to become China's fourth largest airport. 1 June 2015.
  7. Web site: QATAR AIRWAYS TO FLY TO CHONGQING IN CHINA. Qatar Airways. 11 August 2011. 1 October 2011.
  8. Web site: http://news.ifeng.com/a/20170501/51029709_0.shtml. zh:记者探秘T3航站楼 重庆机场"飞"上新台阶. news.ifeng.com. 20 May 2017.
  9. Web site: http://mt.sohu.com/20160713/n459077884.shtml. zh:重庆再开8条国际航线 直飞莫斯科、伊斯坦布尔等-搜狐. mt.sohu.com. 13 July 2016 . 27 February 2017.
  10. Web site: http://www.cqa.cn/kgxw/news/2017-8/3_1552.shtml . zh:重庆机场T3航站楼8月29日6时启用.
  11. Web site: http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2017-09-28/doc-ifymksyw4455173.shtml. zh-cn . zh:重庆江北国际机场旅客吞吐量排名全球第54位. Sina News. 28 September 2017. 28 September 2017.
  12. Web site: http://news.carnoc.com/list/439/439065.html. zh-cn . zh:CADAS:2017年全球机场吞吐量TOP50出炉. Carnoc. 12 March 2018.
  13. Web site: Chongqing to Have Largest Airport in Western China.
  14. News: http://cq.cqnews.net/cqqx/html/2016-11/01/content_39254720.htm . zh:机场至两路城区开通公交专线 江北机场步入公交时代. 5 November 2016. 杨帆 .
  15. Web site: http://www.chinacqsb.com/html/2016-11/04/content_13899.htm. zh:5日起 江北机场到两路城区的公交专线启用. 重庆商报. 5 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161105095203/http://www.chinacqsb.com/html/2016-11/04/content_13899.htm. 5 November 2016. dead.
  16. Web site: 3 March 2022 . zh: 走!到重庆江北国际机场“汽车影院”看电影|website=sina.com . https://k.sina.com.cn/article_1664221137_6331ffd1020012npq.html#/ . https://web.archive.org/web/20221230154646/https://k.sina.com.cn/article_1664221137_6331ffd1020012npq.html) . 30 December 2022 . 30 December 2022 . zh-hans.
  17. Web site: zh:重庆江北机场-停车场 . http://www.cqa.cn/jtzn/23/ . 11 January 2017 . www.cqa.cn.
  18. Web site: zh:江北机场T3航站楼 有5000个地下停车位 . http://cq.cqnews.net/sz/2013-12/13/content_29026141.htm.
  19. Web site: zh:重庆轻轨3号线正式通车 山城轨道交通网已现雏形. http://cq.people.com.cn/news/2011929/2011929145555.htm. 人民网. zh-hans. 29 September 2011. 1 October 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111001204119/http://cq.people.com.cn/news/2011929/2011929145555.htm. 1 October 2011. dead.
  20. http://cq.people.com.cn/n2/2017/0828/c365402-30660695.html|{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Terminal 3 accessible by CRT Line 10(Source in Chinese). Retrieved 18 June 2018
  21. Web site: zh: 重庆东环铁路开通,串联三大火车站与江北机场,带你打卡沿线站点. https://www.cqcb.com/yukuaibao/2022-12-30/5130322_pc.html. 上游新闻. zh-hans. 30 December 2022. 30 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221230145512/https://www.cqcb.com/yukuaibao/2022-12-30/5130322_pc.html . 30 December 2022.
  22. News: zh:重庆江北机场四期扩建年底奠基. China Daily Website - Connecting China Connecting the World . China Daily. zh-hans. 30 August 2011. 1 October 2011.
  23. Web site: http://info.chinaexpressair.com/AboutUs/contact.html . https://web.archive.org/web/20150814082144/http://info.chinaexpressair.com/AboutUs/contact.html . dead . 14 August 2015 . zh:联系我们 . . 14 August 2015 . 12 May 2016 . Chinese: 重庆总部:重庆江北国际机场.
  24. Web site: Airliner plunges 10,000 feet in three minutes after cockpit window cracks. 8 July 2020.
  25. News: Chinese jet aborts takeoff, catches fire, causing minor injuries from evacuation. Reuters. 12 May 2022. 12 May 2022.
  26. News: Tibet Airlines plane in flames, passengers evacuated before take-off in southwestern China. Jack. Lau. 12 May 2022. 12 May 2022. South China Morning Post.