Chengdu: Shuangliu or Tianfu? A Corporate Guide to the Two-Airport City

City Guide2026-10-20·All articles

Chengdu’s 2021 airport split still catches travellers out: Shuangliu (CTU) sits 16 km from the centre, while Tianfu (TFU) is about 50 km to the southeast. A meeting can be lost to 70 minutes of highway if the wrong airport is assumed.

Airport overview

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU)

Chengdu’s veteran airport, just 16 km from the center with two 3,600-metre runways; 33.5 million passengers in 2025. After the 2021 split it repositioned as the boutique business airport — domestic trunk routes on T2, and T1 (reopened February 2025) holding Sichuan Airlines plus a growing set of international and regional routes moving back from Tianfu.

Official site: www.cdairport.com

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU)

Opened 2021 in Jianyang, about 50 km southeast; three runways in phase one (six planned) and a large twin-terminal complex, built as the national-level international hub — most long-haul and regional routes, new services and low-cost carriers operate here, around the clock. Together the pair carried 90 million+ passengers in 2025, making Chengdu China’s third dual-hub city.

Official site: www.sctfia.com

Terminals and airlines

Airport / terminal	Who operates there (late 2026)
Shuangliu Airport (CTU) T2	Domestic trunk routes — Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Chengdu Airlines, Shenzhen, Loong, Shandong, Spring, Hainan and others
Shuangliu Airport (CTU) T1	Sichuan Airlines’ hub plus international and regional routes returning to CTU — from mid-2026 Sichuan Air’s Hong Kong / Taipei flights and several carriers’ regional routes moved back here; Tibet Air flies exclusively from Shuangliu
Tianfu Airport (TFU)	The international main hub — most long-haul and regional routes, new and low-cost services; open 24 hours

Local notes

Read the airport code off the ticket — CTU or TFU — before arranging anything; regional routes are still moving back to Shuangliu, so confirm close to the travel date.
For events at Western China International Expo City, Tianfu airport is the natural arrival point — 30–40 minutes off the plane.
Delegation itineraries that mix both airports are routine for us: one booking, both airports, one report.

Realistic drive times

Route	Distance	Off-peak	Rush hours*
Shuangliu Airport → Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li	~18 km	30–40 min	45–60 min
Tianfu Airport → Chunxi Road	~55 km	65–80 min	80–100 min
Tianfu Airport → Tianfu New Area / Xinglong Lake	~20–30 km	25–40 min	45–60 min

* Weekday 07:30–09:30 and 17:00–19:30; the ring roads and the Tianfu Avenue corridor are the pinch points.

What a corporate transfer includes

Flight tracked actively; driver waits to actual landing, no waiting limit.
Name board inside arrivals; luggage assistance; 7×24 bilingual contact.