Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU/ZUUU) (成都双流国际机场) is located 16 kilometers southwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. It is an important hub airport in southwest China. By 2018, it has built a modern international airport, with two runways, two terminals and a freight center, more than 200 routes, covering major regions in China, as well as more and more international (regional) routes and all-cargo routes. It is the favorite airport of Chengdu citizens. Almost all Shuangliu airports are Airbus planes, and fans of A350-900 must not miss it!

According to statistics, Shuangliu Airport had more than 50 million passengers in 2018. It is one of the top 30 busiest airports in the world and the fourth busiest airport in mainland China, second only to Shanghai Pudong and Baiyun, the capital of Beijing. Chengdu Shuangliu Airport is the base of Sichuan Airlines and Chengdu Airlines. The renovation began in 2020. During the renovation, most of the flights were changed to Tianfu Airport. At present, only Sichuan Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, China International Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Zhejiang Changlong Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines are operating domestic flights. Therefore, international passenger flights are in Terminal 2 of Tianfu Airport, and international cargo flights are maintained at Shuangliu Airport.

General tips for China

many foreign websites and apps are blocked and don’t work in China. Below you will find some helpful apps:

• WeChat: every Chinese use this app, it also has a good translation function that helps really a lot because the language is the main barrier. You can translate from Chinese writings and they can translate your English into Chinese characters. This is a must have. The common western messenger services like Facebook, WhatsApp etc. don not work in China!
• Alipay: it is a major Chinese App that can be registered abroad and almost all shops/stores/hotels etc. support it as an official payment. You can add your western credit card like Amex, VISA or Mastercard to Alipay in advance. Furthermore you can also book and pay flights, hotels, restaurants, didi etc. with the app. This app is a must have!
• Didi: the Chinese “Uber”. Very helpful to reach the spots which are not connected to the public transport.
• Baidu Maps or Gaode Maps: this is the chinese google/apple maps.

We recommend to buy a chinese eSIM in advance from airalo for example.

Guide written by Jeff Tang,  Ruoyang Yan, Dirk Weinrich, Jack Yang. Last change: June 2023 (Spot 9 and 10 added)

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
02L/20R	3600m(11811ft)
02R/20L	3600m(11811ft)
Terminals
Terminal 1	Closed for constructions
Terminal 2	Domestic flights only
Spotting Information
Ladder	No Needed
Car/Public Transport	The transportation to the airport is very convenient. Observers can go to the observation site by high-speed railway, subway, bus, taxi, or even bicycle. The subway lines are very developed and safe. We suggest taking the subway to Shuangliu West Station (Line 3 and 10) or Lianhu Station (Line 8). From there call a ride to the final spotting positions.
Restrooms	It’s not easy to find, maybe in some farmers’ yards.
Drinks/Food	Better to carry foods and drinks.
Hotels	Nearby the Airport
Season	Climate factors often affect the quality of pictures. There is almost no sunshine in winter, and the haze is very serious. The recommended discovery time is from April to October.
Runway Usage
General Info	Usually, runway 02L/20R is used for north departure, and runway 02R/20L is used for northward arrival. Therefore, you won’t miss any plane you want to shoot in Chengdu Shuangliu. The airport is unlikely to operate southward, only in certain weather and wind conditions in summer. Due to the large number of houses and fences around, the 02L/20R runway has almost no close detection location. In contrast, a large part of the area around the 02R/20L runway is higher than the runway surface, so it is very suitable for finding landing aircraft at close range.
02L/20R	All day operation, mainly used for northward departure
02R/20L	All day operation, mainly used for northward arrival, northward departure before 9:00AM, and used for heavy aircraft operations like B748, A380

Due to national security concerns, the use of geographic information in China is restricted and the layers in google maps don´t fit. The satellite images are correct but the street layers are displaced! 
Please click on the link at each location (WHERE) to get to the chinese website baidu where you find an exact map with satellite and street view images. If you use a smartphone please download the Baidu App.

	Spot #1 – No.6 Longqiao Rd – 02L departure/ 20R arrival
WHERE	This spotting location is on the roof of an 11-storey building west of runway 02L, beside LongQiao Road, (龙桥路) and opposite of the “Rujia Hotel (如家酒店)”. If you come from downtown Chengdu, take metro line 3 to LongQiao Road (龙桥路) and use Exit C. Then, take the bus NO.548 or NO.516 to LongQiao Market (龙桥综合市场), you should be able to see the buildings located across the street in the picture below. Use the main gate to enter the building, take the evaluator to the top floor, then use the stairs to the roof. It should be noted that when you enter the building, don’t draw too much attention from the security guards as they don’t really like plane spotters, so, put your lens and tripod in your bag until you reach the roof, there will definitely be no problem. LINK TO THE BAIDU MAP
WHAT	The movements of runway 02L/20R and terminal can be seen completely here. There is no obstruction in sight. Usually you can take pictures of planes departing from runway 02L here, while the altitude of the passing planes will exceed 100 meters at the closest distance from this location. It will be a ideal place to take pictures when planes final approaching on runway 20R, which will get the airport building or city sense as pictures background.
TIME	Good weather in summer between 3:00pm-7:00pm, winter is not recommended because of its terrible visibility.
MISC.	There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself to the top. On the main road there are several food stores.
FOCAL LENGTH	300mm – 500mm

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	Spot #2 – XieYiJiaRi 14th Floor – 02L/taxiway
WHERE	This spotting location is on the 14th floor of a high-rise building near Changshun Road, XieYiJiaRi apartment (写意小区). It has a high view and can overlook most of the airports. Unfortunately, trees blocked the runway, so here you can only see the taxiway, apron and terminal 2. And because of the distance, spotting here requires very good weather and visibility. You can go there by taxi or bicycle. You can also use the public transportation, if you come from downtown Chengdu, take metro line 3 to “Dongshen Road Station” (东升路) and follows the direction to walk for around 1 km until you see the building in the picture below. Normally, the main gate is unlocked so you can enter in the apartment freely, when you enter in, just take the evaluator to the top floor, where you could find a nice spot on the roof. LINK TO THE BAIDU MAP
WHAT	Aircraft taking off from runway 02L or runway 02R will pass through the taxiway in front of this location and can take pictures of aircraft taxiing on the ground.
TIME	Good weather in summer between 3:00pm-7:00pm,winter is not recommended because of its terrible visibility.
MISC.	There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself.
FOCAL LENGTH	400 – 600mm

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	Spot #3 – Mengzi Village – 02R departure and arrival
WHERE	This Spotting location is on the east side of the middle section of runway 02R/20L. The abandoned fields. higher than the runway surface. It can be reached by taxi or bicycle. It is also possible to get here by public transportations (but it’s not recommended as you need to transfer for multiple times.) If you come from downtown Chengdu, take metro line 3 to “Shuangliu Square Station” (双流广场站), exit at A1 and walk for about 300m, then take bus NO.838 to “Guangdu Avenue Dajie Intersection Station” (广都大道大件路口站), finally, take bus NO. S33 to “Mengzi Village Station” (檬子社区), which is pretty close to this station.  LINK TO BAIDU MAP
WHAT	In most case, You can spot the planes landing on runway 02R here. the planes taking off from 02R can also be spotted here before 9:00 a.m.
TIME	From sunrise to noon
MISC.	There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself. No ladder needed/useful. Also, please pay attention to the interruption of the bird net
FOCAL LENGTH	100 -300mm

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	Spot #4 – LiangFengding – 02R arrival
WHERE	This Spotting location is on the east side of the South end of runway 02R/20L, on some abandoned fields. You are higher than the runway surface so no ladder is needed. It can be reached by taxi or bicycle. It is also possible to get here by public transportations (but it’s not recommended as you need to transfer for multiple times). Just follow the same direction as location 3 to take the bus S33, get off at “Hejiadian Station (赫家店站)” which is 3 stops after “Mengzi Village” (檬子社区) and walk/drive on the small path from the main road till the fields. LINK TO BAIDU MAP
WHAT	Here you can take pictures of planes final approaching on runway 02R.If luck and weather are good enough, You can even spot snowy mountains 50 kilometers away as a background for the planes.
TIME	From sunrise to noon
MISC.	There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself. No ladder needed/useful.
FOCAL LENGTH	100 – 300mm

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	Spot #5 – Muhua Road – 02R Arrival
WHERE	This location is at the end of runway 02R,  just follow the direction on the map, you can stand on the side of Muhua road to spot. You can move along the road to find the best angle. It is recommend to reach here by taxi or bicycle as parking is strict prohibited here. If you prefer to use public transportation, take metro line 3 to “Shuangliu West station” (双流西站) and use exit E. Then cross the street (about 200m far) and take bus 811 to “Muhua Road Huangang Intersection Station” (牧华路环港路口站), you should be able to see the final approach traffic when you get off the bus, just walk along the road for about 800m, you can arrive this location. LINK TO BAIDU MAP
WHAT	Here you can take pictures of planes land on runway 02R in the sky, which is the same as in location 4.
TIME	This location is ideal for the whole day, depends on the location you stand.
MISC.	There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself. No ladder needed/useful.
FOCAL LENGTH	100mm – 200mm

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	Spot #6 – South Section of Shuangyong Road -02R arrival / Taxiway
WHERE	This is a pretty popular spotting location for locals which is on the west side of runway 02R and accessible from the Shuangyong Road. In Chinese, the park is called 空港花田. It’s an park where people go for a walk and get some sunshine. It’s very convenient to call a taxi via Didi, the Chinese version of Uber, originating from the subway (line 3) station Yingchunqiao (迎春桥). You can also take metro line 3 to Shuangliu West (双流西站) and use exit E. Then cross the street (about 200m far) and take bus 811 to “Muhua Road Huangang Intersection Station” (牧华路环港路口站), walk along the road for about 100m after get off, you can see the entrance of the park shown in the picture below. It is close to location 5. LINK TO BAIDU MAP Update July 2023: there are construction works going on at this spot and it is not accessible. Park has reopened
WHAT	At this location you can spot the arrivals of Runway 02R. International arrivals from Europe and Middle-East are likely to use this runway during southern operations. Some domestic flights can also be seen here.
TIME	From noon to sunset
MISC.	You have to pay an entrance fee of about 38-45 RMB. There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself. No ladder needed/useful.
FOCAL LENGTH	70-300mm

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	Spot #7 – Mid Section of Shuangyong Road -02R arrival / 20L departure
WHERE	This spotting location is on the west side of runway 02R just a bit north of  spot 6 along the Shuangyong Road. Actually there are several good spotting location by the road without any obstruction so feel free to find your preferred location. It is also very convenient to call a taxi, costing 15 RMB from Yingchunqiao Station. You can set the destination 桃花园. After dropoff, you will see a mound blocking the way to get close to Runway 02R/20L. You just need to go across the mound, which allows you a satisfactory runway view. In particular, it is a perfect spot to catch the touchdown of airplanes landing on 02R. LINK TO BAIDU MAP
WHAT	Here you can take pictures of planes final approaching on runway 02R which is the same traffic as the previous location.
TIME	From noon to sunset
MISC.	There is no food, no water, no restroom. You need to take everything there yourself. No ladder needed/useful.
FOCAL LENGTH	150 – 400mm

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	Spot #8 – Airport Park – 20R arrivals
WHERE	A brand new “airport park” has been installed in the northern corner of the airport boundaries, next to the 20R threshold. It’s walkable from Spot 1. Just cross the major thoroughfare. Basically a green park area where you can walk along the fence around the head of Rwy 20R until one reach a slightly elevated hillside on the eastern corner which offers a view of the arrivals, ramp and lineup of 20R. In the afternoon you can easily switch on the other side of the park to catch the arrivals. If you arrive by car a guarded parking lot is right at the entrance of the park.
WHAT	All arrivals and line-up on rwy 20R. Apron in front of the maintenance hangars.
TIME	Depends on what you photograph. For the arrivals all day long except noon when the sun is on the runway axis.
MISC.	In the park are some hawkers selling some street food and drinks. Otherwise bring what you need. There is no shade at the hill. Some locals come here to watch the planes. There should be no issue with security
FOCAL LENGTH	From 70mm for the apron. Depending on the aircraft and parking position. For the threshold at least 100mm are necessary.

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	Spot #9 – Overpass – 02L arrivals and departures, taxiway
WHERE	There is a pedestrian overpass bridge near the crossing of the newly build Huangang Road and Qingtai Road. You can easily photograph the traffic from the top of the bridge. The nearest bus station is Qingtailu Dong Station, 300m far away from the spot. Bus route S06 passes through this stop. The bus can shuttle Metro line 3 at Sanliba metro station.LINK TO THE BAIDU MAP
WHAT	Takeoff/Landing on RWY02L and movements taxiway are available at this spot.It’s possible to shoot aircraft taxiing to terminal after landing on 02R, depending on the taxiway they use. Heat might be a problem for latter. It provides a nice chance to shoot Air China planes in front of its hangar.
TIME	Good weather in summer between 3:00pm-7:00pm, winter is not recommended because of its terrible visibility.
MISC.	There are no shops or restaurants near the spot. Visitors need to bring food/drinks by themselves. Delivery apps are available here too.
FOCAL LENGTH	100 – 200 mm for runway 02L 300mm – 400mm for taxiway

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	Spot #10 – Cargo Ramp
WHERE	For catching the freighters, there is a perfect spot for watching them loading/unloading right next to the ramp. It is only reachable by foot. The only entrance is the Side Road of South Section, Dajian Road (大件路南段辅路). Don’t mess up with the other side of the road as there is no way to go across the Dajian Road. The closest bus stop is DaJian Lu JiChang LuKouZhan (大件路机场路口站). After you get off the bus, walk in the southwest direction to the Side Road of South Section, Dajian Road. If you prefer by taxi, then let the driver drop off you by Dajian Road Dongsheng Section (大件路东升段辅路). To reach that entrance, it’s a 2km walk on Dajian Road Dongsheng Section (大件路东升段辅路) and Side Road of South Section, Dajian Road (大件路南段辅路). Make sure to walk on the correct side as there is no clear road sign, otherwise, it doubles the distance. One way to make sure you are on the correct way is to check that you are close to the Runway 02R/20L. After getting to the entrance, you will see the farms and fields. You need to walk in such conditions and avoid hurting these plants.
WHAT	You can freely position yourself in your preferred way along the fence. Also, don’t forget how you get to your position.For a particular time, I expect it to be well-lit in the morning. It is also an ideal place for night spotting.
TIME	Depends on the angle but not the best position as you face the sun almost the whole day.
MISC.	Don’t use a ladder here and shot trough the fence. Be friendly to nature (no littering, in particular). On this spot, there is no food, no water, no restroom, and almost no shade. You need to take everything there yourself. The ladder is not useful.
FOCAL LENGTH	The required focal length is approximately 70 (on taxiways) to 200, depending on the parking locations of freighters.

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