The airport, formerly named Shuangguisi Airport, opened as an auxiliary military airfield in 1938 during the Second Sino-Japanese War/World War II. At the time, its runway was only large enough for small biplanes. It was also where the Republic of China Air ForcePolikarpov I-15 fighters of the 5th Pursuit Group were based for aerial defense of the Chengtu area against Imperial Japanese bomber raids; this following the Chinese retreat from Wuhan to Chungking as the new provisional capital in aftermath of the Battle of Wuhan against the Imperial Japanese onslaught. Civilian targets were indiscriminately bombed, and ace fighter pilot of the Chinese Air Force Major Wong Sun-shui and Lieutenant Lin Heng flying in their I-15 fighter planes were both killed near Shuangliu air base as a result of battling against the A6M "Zero" fighter, in defense of Chengdu on 14 March 1941. During World War II, the airport was known as Shwangliu Airfield and was later used by the United States Army Air ForcesFourteenth Air Force as part of the China Defensive Campaign. It was used as a fighter base by the 33d Fighter Group, which flew P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers from the airport in 1944 to support Chinese ground forces, and also by reconnaissance units that operated camera-equipped P-38 Lightnings that located Japanese forces and provided intelligence to the fighter-bombers. The Americans closed their facilities at Shwangliu Airfield at the end of August 1945. On December 12, 1956, the Shuangguisi Airport was put under civil aviation, which was then formally listed as a civil aviation airport and renamed Chengdu Shuangliu Airport. In 1957, the flights of Chengdu civil aviation were shifted to Shuangliu Airport from Guanghan Airport. The flight courses from Chengdu were thus opened to various cities within China including Beijing, Taiyuan, Xi'an, Chongqing, Kunming, Guiyang, and Nanchong. The airport went through several earlier expansions in 1959, 1967, 1983 and 1991 respectively.
Current status
A large-scale expansion was conducted on flight area and navigation area from 1994 to 2001. The runway was extended to with Class 4E rating, allowing for larger jumbo jets including the Boeing 747-400. The newly built terminal building was incorporated with a three-parallel-porch design, accommodating an hourly capacity of 3,500 passengers during rush hours, while the previous terminal building was only designated for regional flights within Sichuan and Chongqing. The airport is now an international civil airport with flights to more than 50 international destinations and over 170 domestic airports, and is a hub for Chengdu Airlines, Air China and Sichuan Airlines. It is linked to downtown Chengdu by the Airport Expressway, the Chengdu–Mianyang–Leshan intercity railway and the newly built Chengdu Metroline 10 which has stations in both terminals. KLM launched the first intercontinental air route from Chengdu, to Amsterdam, on 28 May 2006. The construction of its second runway started from late 2008, and service commenced in December 2009. The completed new runway, in length and in width, upgraded the previous flight area rating from 4E to 4F, capable of handling the Airbus A380. The new Terminal 2 has started construction in June 2009; trial operations began on July 28, 2012 with limited airlines and was officially opened on August 9, 2012 for all domestic airlines other than Sichuan Airlines. T1 is split into Domestic and International wings, and retained all international flights from airlines within and outside China. The new terminal is twice the size of the current T1, and allows the airport to handle up to 50 million passengers annually. On June 9, 2014, United Airlines began operating a nonstop service from San Francisco to Chengdu, connecting central China to the United States non-stop for the first time. Service to the US has since expanded, as Hainan Airlines now offers nonstop service from Chengdu to Los Angeles and began nonstop service to New York–JFK in October 2017. In addition, Sichuan Airlines and Air China have many international routes in this airport.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Other facilities
once had its headquarters on the airport property.
Airport Bus No. 1, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport - City Centre ; single ticket: ￥10. Airport Bus No. 2, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport - Chengdu railway station ; single ticket: up to ￥10. Airport Bus No. 3, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport - Chengdu East railway station ; single ticket: ￥12.
Taxi
It costs about RMB 60 Yuan from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to the city centre of Chengdu.
High-speed train (CRH)
Passengers can take the CRH train at Shuangliu Airport railway station to Chengdu Nan Railway Station and Chengdu Dong Railway Station; single tickets are about ￥11. The CRH trains at Shuangliu Airport Station are also bound for Mianyang Railway Station, Deyang Railway Station, Meishan Dong Railway Station, Leshan Railway Station and Emeishan Railway Station.
Underground
is a subway line that links Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport with Taipingyuan Station. It opened on 6 September 2017.
