Construction of Nanjing Lukou International Airport started on 28 February 1995, and was completed two years later. When the airport opened on 1 July 1997, all civilian operations were transferred to it from Nanjing Dajiaochang Airport, and Nanjing Dajiaochang was converted to a Chinese military air base. Although Nanjing Lukou had been designated an international airport since commencing operations, China’s state administrations only approved it for foreign aircraft on 18 November 1997. In 2006, China Post started building its express logistics center at Nanjing Lukou to handle its express mail services. Initial construction was completed by 2009, with additional facilities and functions added continuously. The final project, as planned, would be the largest in Asia and the third-largest in the world of its kind. In 2009, the airport handled 10 million passengers. In 2013, that number surpassed 15 million, which was 3 million above the terminal’s designed operational capacity. In preparation for the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics, hosted by Nanjing, Terminal 2 was completed after more than three years of construction. Also completed were a new parallel runway with taxiways, a new tower, new aircraft parking positions, and new cargo handling facilities. On 12 July 2014, all flights were relocated to Terminal 2, and Terminal 1 was closed for renovation. The new facilities removed the bottleneck caused by the limited capability of the old terminal and runway. In November 2014, with the launching of the Phase 2 expansion and optimization of neighboring air traffic patterns, authorities approved an increase of peak-hour flight volume from 28 flights per hour to 38 flights per hour. With the added capacity, Nanjing Airport has seen rapid increase in both aircraft movement and total passengers. In 2015, the number of total passengers exceeded 19 million, that is 2.87 million on top of 2014, a 17.7% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. The airport continues to see substantial increase into 2016, which saw 29,210 aircraft movements and 3.39 million passengers handled in January and February, a 16.9% and a 21.2% increase respectively, comparing to the same period 2015.
Composition
The airport consists of two terminals, two 3600-meter runways, two control towers, a cargo center, a transportation center, and an apron. Adjacent to, but not belonging to, the airport is the China Post express logistics center and the base for China Postal Airlines. The older section of the airport consists of:
Terminal 1 is currently closed for renovation. All passenger flights are handled by Terminal 2. The Phase 2 expansion includes:
Terminal 2
a new 4F-rating southern runway and two parallel taxiways
two taxiways connecting the northern and southern runways
20 aircraft parking positions
a second control tower
an 11,000m² carpark
a transportation center, which seats a subway station, a coach station, a Pullman Hotel, and shopping and dining facilities
The two terminals are also connected by the transportation center structure.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Ground transportation
Airport shuttle
City to airport
From Nanjing South Railway Station: 6:00–21:00, every 20 minutes, duration 40 minutes
From Nanjing Railway Station East Square : 5:40–21:00, every 20 minutes, duration 80 minutes
Airport to city
Line 1: 30 minutes after the first landing to the last landing of the day ; max. interval 30 minutes
Line 2: 9:30–22:30, max. interval 30 minutes
Expressway
The airport is accessed by Konggang Road, which connects to the Airport Expressway. The Airport Expressway is part of S55 Ningxuan Expressway.
Rail
The Lukou Airport Station on Line S1 of the Nanjing Metro links the airport with Nanjing South Railway Station. Operation hours are from 6 AM or 6:40 AM to 10 PM, at 9'57" intervals in peak hours and 13'16" intervals in low hours. The entire journey takes approximately 35 minutes and costs 6 RMB. At Nanjing South railway station, passengers can transfer to high-speed trains to other cities, coach services to nearby towns, and Nanjing subway and bus lines.
Taxi
Taxis are easily accessible outside the arrivals hall. Fare between the airport and city area ranges from ¥80 to ¥120.
